• MC Lyte, Rock The Bells Festival 2023
  • Mc Sha Rock Rock the bells festival 2023
  • Big Boi, Sleepy Brown
  • Swizz Beatz, Rock The Bells Festival 2023
  • Boot Camp Click, Duckdown
  • Lost Boyz, Rock The Bells Festival
  • DJ Hurricane rock the bells festival 2023
  • Ludacris Rock The Bells Festival
  • Redman Method Man
  • Roxanne Shanté
  • Redman
  • LL COOL J Rock The Bells 2023
15 PHOTOS

Check Out Photos From the 2023 Rock The Bells Festival

Check Out Photos From the 2023 Rock The Bells Festival

Photos by Kevin Wilson for Rock The Bells

Published Mon, August 7, 2023 at 10:00 AM EDT

On Aug. 5, Hip-Hop celebrated 50 years at the Rock The Bells Festival in Queens, NY in front of a sold out crowd. Featuring icons like Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, MC Sha-Rock, LL COOL J, RUN DMC, Boot Camp Clik, Roxanne Shanté, and many more, the entire day showcased talent from every corner of Hip-Hop's storied timeline.

Forest Hills Stadium was electric with fans soaking up the genre's rich history. This wasn't just a festival — it was an electrifying testament to Hip-Hop's legacy.

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Rakim

Rakim, The God MC moved the crowd.

2 of 15

MC Lyte

The crowd recited most of MC Lyte's set verbatim — classic material.

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MC Sha-Rock

MC Sha-Rock, recognized as Hip-Hop's first female MC, got a lot of love all day.

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Big Boi and Sleepy Brown

Big Boi and Sleep Brown surprised everyone during Queen Latifah's set.

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Swizz Beatz

Super producer Swizz Beatz was especially hype during his high-energy performance.

6 of 15

Boot Camp Click

Boot Camp Clik was ready for action at the festival.

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Lost Boyz

Backstage, Lost Boyz confirmed that yep, "Rene" is based a true story.

8 of 15

DJ Hurricane

The legendary DJ Hurricane handled the tables with perfection.

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Ludacris

Ludacris' set was fire.

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Redman and Method Man

Two of the best live performers around.

11 of 15

Roxanne Shanté

Roxanne Shanté had a nice day.

12 of 15

Redman

Redman wanted to know how sick.

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Slick Rick

The Ruler commanded the stage.

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Big Daddy Kane

Long live the Kane.

15 of 15

LL COOL J

Awesome set from the GOAT.

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