In ten short years, Rolling Loud has grown to become one of the biggest festivals in the world – all while focusing on just one genre: hip-hop. It was founded by elementary school buddies Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif in Miami in 2015 and has since spawned offshoots all over the world, featuring performances from some of the biggest names in music. But, for Matt Zingler, his favourite part of running the event is watching the smaller artists climb the ranks. 

“Honestly, the biggest highlight is watching an artist go from performing on a smaller stage early in their career to headlining a few years later, Playboi Carti being one of them,” Zingler tells Dazed over email. “That growth and evolution, for both the artists and the festival, is what makes it all worth it.” 

The comment is aptly timed, given that just last weekend Carti headlined Rolling Loud 2025 in Los Angeles, performing for the first time his newly-released I Am Music album. Elsewhere, the festival featured A$AP Rocky’s first performance since being found not guilty of assault charges, literally dropping into the stage from a helicopter, as well as Compton rapper YG bringing out a Donald Trump impersonator for a special performance of six-year-old track “FDT” – an acronym of ‘Fuck Donald Trump’.

But, true to Zingler’s word, it was in the undercard that Rolling Loud 2025 really shone. The festival featured a host of rising names from across the rap universe – from plugg cult figure Xaviersobased, to post-punk paragon Thxsomuch, to the internet infamy of Dave Blunts, and beyond – reflecting a dedication to the grassroots hip-hop culture that formed its foundations. “Those early sets are where you’ll catch the next big thing before they blow up,” says Zingler. “It’s like seeing the future of hip-hop take shape in real-time.”

“We saw how so many dope artists weren’t getting the stage they deserved, and fans didn’t have a true home for hip-hop on a festival scale. We wanted to change that,” he continues, reflecting on his and Cherif’s motivations for founding the festival nine years ago. Looking at Rolling Loud 2025 in Los Angeles, it seems they’ve succeeded on both fronts.

Check the gallery above for exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs from the festival.