Rock the Bells


Rock the Bells was an annual hip-hop festival that originally took place in Southern California only, but has since toured throughout the world. The concert featured a line-up of high-profile alternative hip-hop artists, often headlined by a more mainstream artist. The first festival was held in 2004, featuring a re-united Wu-Tang Clan, who performed four months before Ol' Dirty Bastard's death. That festival is covered in depth by a documentary film also called Rock the Bells.

Festivals

Club Tour

The concept was taken from the original, highly successful annual West-Coast hip-hop festival and transformed into a full-fledged United States tour.
DateCityCountryVenue
November 21, 2006Washington, D.C.United States9:30 Club
November 22, 2006Myrtle BeachUnited StatesHouse of Blues
November 24, 2006GreensboroUnited StatesThe N Club
November 25, 2006HartfordUnited StatesWebster
November 26, 2006AllentownUnited StatesCrocodile Rock Café
November 28, 2006New York CityUnited StatesBB Kings
November 30, 2006BostonUnited StatesAvalon
December 1, 2006ProvidenceUnited StatesLupos Heartbreak Hotel
December 2, 2006BuffaloUnited StatesBuffalo Ballroom
December 3, 2006BurlingtonUnited StatesHigher Ground
December 6, 2006ChicagoUnited StatesHouse of Blues
December 8, 2006Park CityUnited StatesHarry O
December 9, 2006DenverUnited StatesOgden Theatre
December 12, 2006VancouverCanadaPlush Nightclub
December 13, 2006SeattleUnited StatesThe Showbox
December 14, 2006PortlandUnited States
December 15, 2006SacramentoUnited StatesEmpire
December 16, 2006San FranciscoUnited StatesMezzanine
December 20, 2006Los AngelesUnited StatesHouse of Blues
December 21, 2006San DiegoUnited StatesHouse of Blues
December 22, 2006AnaheimUnited StatesHouse of Blues

Lineup
Redman, Raekwon, Keith Murray, Supernatural, EPMD, Ghostface Killah, Pharoahe Monch, Smif-n-Wessun, Dirty Heads, DJ Kool.

2007 Festival Series

Rock the Bells 2007 had 3 major venues scheduled; July 28 and July 29 in New York, August 11 in San Bernardino, and August 18 in San Francisco. These select shows were headlined by a reunited Rage Against the Machine, and co-headlined by Wu-Tang Clan. The artists appearing in the shows appeared in rotating slots over the two-show weekend in New York, and selected performances for the remaining duration of the 20 shows, which were head-lined by the Wu-Tang Clan. Five cities also had a second stage called the Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Stage. Rage Against the Machine was the festival's first non-hip hop act to be featured.
DateCityCountryVenue
July 26, 2007MansfieldUnited StatesTweeter Center
July 28, 2007New York CityUnited StatesRandall's Island*^
July 29, 2007New York CityUnited StatesRandall's Island*^
August 2, 2007AtlantaUnited StatesHi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre
August 3, 2007CharlotteUnited StatesVerizon Wireless Amphitheatre
August 4, 2007MiamiUnited StatesBayfront Park
August 7, 2007DallasUnited StatesSmirnoff Music Center
August 8, 2007HoustonUnited StatesReliant Park
August 11, 2007San BernardinoUnited StatesHyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen*^
August 12, 2007San DiegoUnited StatesCoors Amphitheatre ^
August 18, 2007San FranciscoUnited StatesMcCovey Cove *^
August 21, 2007Salt Lake CityUnited StatesUSANA Amphitheater
August 22, 2007DenverUnited StatesRed Rocks Amphitheatre
August 25, 2007MinneapolisUnited StatesThe Myth
August 26, 2007ChicagoUnited StatesCharter One Pavilion
August 29, 2007ClarkstonUnited StatesDTE Energy
September 1, 2007HonoluluUnited StatesBlaisdell Arena

Lineup
Main Stage: Rage Against the Machine*, Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, The Roots, Public Enemy, Erykah Badu, Rakim, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Nas, Black Star*, EPMD, Pharoahe Monch, Immortal Technique, Jedi Mind Tricks, David Banner, UGK, Supernatural, Rahzel, Murs 3:16.
Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Stage^: MF Doom, Living Legends, Felt, Sage Francis, Murs 3:16, Brother Ali, Cage, Mr. Lif, Living Legends, The Grouch & Eligh, Hangar 18, Blueprint, Lucky I Am, The Coup, Blackalicious, Ice Water Inc., Sen Dog from Cypress Hill, Hieroglyphics.

New York City Dates

In July 2007, the Rock the Bells festival came to New York City, and this event became particularly noteworthy. Upon selling out the massive Randall's Island venue very quickly, the one-day stop in NYC was expanded to two days, and a number of new and exclusive guests were added to the bills. The festival included the full Paid Dues festival lineup performing on a second stage, reunited headliners Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang Clan, guest appearances during the show, a special performance of Black Star from Mos Def and Talib Kweli and one of the near-final performances of noted hip-hop luminary Pimp C.

2008 Festival Series

2008 also marks the first year that Rock the Bells went global with four stops in Europe and one in Japan. Highlights of the series include a first time date in Toronto, plus a return to the Glen Helen Pavilion in San Bernardino where last year's show sold out with a capacity crowd of 45,000 people.
DateCityCountryVenue
July 19, 2008Tinley ParkUnited StatesFirst Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 20, 2008TorontoCanadaCanada Arrow Hall
July 26, 2008MansfieldUnited StatesComcast Center*
July 27, 2008ColumbiaUnited StatesMerriweather Post Pavilion*
August 2, 2008MiamiUnited StatesBayfront Park
August 3, 2008WantaghUnited StatesJones Beach Theater*
August 9, 2008San BernardinoUnited StatesGlen Helen Pavilion*
August 16, 2008Mountain ViewUnited StatesShoreline Amphitheatre
August 23, 2008Greenwood VillageUnited StatesFiddler's Green Amphitheatre*
September 6, 2008GeorgeUnited StatesThe Gorge Amphitheatre*

Lineup
Main Stage:A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde- Special Guests, Nas, Ghostface and Raekwon, MF Doom, Rakim, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, Method Man & Redman, Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, Murs, Blue Scholars, Sage Francis, Little Brother, Jedi Mind Tricks.
Bigbox Culture Club Stage*:Spank Rock/Amanda Blank, The Cool Kids, Kidz in the Hall, DJ Afrika Bambaataa, Flosstradamus, Wale, Santogold, Kid Sister, B.o.B, Tyga, Jay Electronica, Devlin & Darko, Ninjasonik, Blaqstarr, Tyler Pase, Plastic Little, The Pack.

2008 International Festival Series

Lineup
Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Supernatural & Scratch, Epmd.

2009 International Festival Series

2010 Festival Series

On the evening of May 24, 2010 Guerilla Union held the Rock the Bells Launch Party at Key Club in Hollywood, CA. The launch party featured surprise guest performances, and the official announcement of the 2010 season lineup. New to the festival this year is a "Classics" theme; the headlining acts will be performing the following classic hip-hop albums in their entirety: A Tribe Called Quest performing Midnight Marauders, Snoop Dogg performing Doggystyle, Wu-Tang Clan performing Enter the Wu-Tang , Rakim performing Paid in Full, KRS-One performing Criminal Minded, Slick Rick performing The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, and DJ Premier and Lauryn Hill as special guests. Unannounced guest appearances included The Madd Rapper, Large Professor, Busta Rhymes, Skyzoo, Swizz Beatz, and Nas.
DateCityCountryVenue
August 21, 2010San BernardinoUnited StatesNOS Events Center
August 22, 2010Mountain ViewUnited StatesShoreline Amphitheatre
August 28, 2010New York CityUnited StatesGovernor's Island
August 29, 2010ColumbiaUnited StatesMerriweather Post Pavilion

2011 Festival Series

On the evening of May 24, 2011 Guerilla Union once again held the Rock the Bells Launch Party. Rapper Supernatural revealed the lineup for this year's edition of the festival. Keeping in the spirit of the 2010 artists, the more prolific acts on this year's festival will be performing a selection of "classic" albums in their entirety. These include Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Nas' Illmatic, Erykah Badu's Baduizm, Cypress Hill's Black Sunday, Mos Def & Talib Kweli's Black Star, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., Mobb Deep's The Infamous, Gza's Liquid Swords, Souls of Mischief's 93 'til Infinity, Black Moon's Enta da Stage and Masta Killa's No Said Date. Additionally, Currensy and Mac Miller will be appearing exclusively on the west coast dates while Evidence will appear only on the East Coast. More recently, rapper Common has been added to three shows, performing his album Be.
DateCityCountryVenue
August 20, 2011San BernardinoUnited StatesSan Manuel Amphitheater
August 27, 2011Mountain ViewUnited StatesShoreline Amphitheatre
September 3, 2011New York CityUnited StatesGovernor's Island
September 24, 2011 MansfieldUnited StatesComcast Center

From early May to June, Guerilla Union unveiled the full lineup for the latest Rock the Bells festival series. It was also revealed that this year's festival will consist of three, two-day weekend events, with two shows on the west coast and one in the east.

2013 Festival Series

On May 14, Guerilla Union held a launch party in Los Angeles. At that event they announced performances by Black Hippy, Big K.R.I.T., Brother Ali, Chase & Status, Common, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Currensy, Danny Brown, Dilated Peoples, Dizzy Wright, Dom Kennedy, E-40, Earl Sweatshirt, Hit-Boy, Hopsin, Immortal Technique, Jhené Aiko, Joey Badass and the Pro Era, Juicy J, Jurassic 5, Kid Cudi, Lecrae, Logic, Mimosa, Rakim, Riff Raff, Snow Tha Product, Talib Kweli, Tech N9ne, Too Short, Tyler, The Creator and Wu-Tang Clan. Other performers added by the start of the festival included ASAP Mob, Girl Talk, J Cole, Jurassic 5, KRS-One, Deltron 3030, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Chief Keef, and a New York only headline performance by Pretty Lights. The 2013 series was hosted by Murs and Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg. To mark the 10th anniversary of Rock the Bells, Wu Tang Clan was meant to reunite, but Raekwon and Ghostface Killah did not make appearances. Originally the series was scheduled for eight dates, two nights each in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York City. However, due to poor sales, the east coast shows were canceled.