Rock the Bells 2025: Celebrating Hip Hop’s Past, Present, and Future

After a one-year hiatus and venue change. Rock the Bells came back with a vengeance in 2025.

The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, was filled with fans from all over the tri-state area. Whether a casual fan or hip hop historian, New Jersey was the place to be on June 28th. This year’s Dean of Ceremony was the legendary Queens Bridge artist Roxanne Shanté. And she did not disappoint, carrying and guiding the show along. This year’s lineup was filled with hip hop legends who solidified their place in the culture. Scarface, Rakim, M.O.P., Red Man, Big Daddy Kane, and Busta Rhymes, just to name a few. One of the highlights of the night was the tribute to the late Andre Harrell’s record label, Uptown Records. It was truly a joy to see so many of the artists who built the label into the household name that it was perform. Mixed in with the hip-hop artists were some amazing R&B acts. Donell Jones, Intro, Al B. Sure, and Jeff Red, who shook the building when he performed his classic hit “You Called and Told Me.”

Bronx rapper Remy Ma graced the stage, performing hits like “Feels so Good” and “All the Way Up.” LL Cool J’s performance with Kid Capri scratching during his set was the epitome of hip hop. The love the Hollis rapper has for the culture permeated all through his performance. Knowing that he’s the person putting this event together, but still finds the time to perform and give the fans their money’s worth, speaks volumes about his love for the culture. Red Man gave one of the most electrifying performances of the night. The Newark, New Jersey native took pride in being back home and made sure to leave fans with an experience they’d never forget. Bringing out fellow New Jersey artist Treach during his set was truly the cherry on top. Watching the crowd erupt when he performed “Hip Hop Hooray” was electrifying. The Brownsville duo MOP brought that Brooklyn grit to the show. Performing cult classics like “Ante Up” and “U Don’t Know,” we were all from Brooklyn during that set.

One of my favorite performances of the night was the Houston legend Scarface. He dug deep into his catalog, performing hit after hit, with a cadence and delivery that only the great Face Mob possesses. When that beat from “My Minds Playing Tricks on Me” dropped, you could feel the arena shake. Hip Hop fans got the experience of a lifetime that evening. Closing the show was the Legendary Busta Rhymes and Spliff Star. The chemistry between those two is undeniable. Every song they performed had the whole stadium out of their seats. Bringing out Papoose for the “Touch it Remix” brought us back to 2006 when the song first dropped. Busta was born to perform, from the outfit changes to the back and forth with him and Spliff, there was no better way to end the show.  Hip Hop won that night, and if you weren’t there, you missed an experience that will be talked about for decades.