Best Moments From The 2025 Rock The Bells Festival

The 2025 Rock The Bells Festival proved to be a historic celebration of Hip-Hop culture, taking over the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., this past Saturday (June 28) with an electrifying lineup that spanned generations of rap royalty.

Among the legendary acts to take the stage were M.O.P., performing street anthems like “Cold As Ice” and “How About Some Hardcore,” and State Property, who reunited for seminal group and solo cuts.

Big Daddy Kane enthralled the crowd with timeless cuts such as “Raw,” “Smooth Operator,” “Warm It Up, Kane,” and “Ain’t No Half Steppin’,” while KRS-One is expected to ignite the crowd with powerful performances of Step Into a World (Rapture’s Delight),” “Sound of da Police,” and “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know.”

LL Cool J, the founder of Rock The Bells, also performed during the evening, making an exciting announcement: a new Hip-Hop documentary executive produced by Peyton Manning and LL Cool J, hosted by LL himself, and featuring legends like Roxanne Shanté, Rev Run, and Doug E. Fresh. The project is slated to stream on Paramount+.

DJ Kid Capri took fans on a nostalgic journey with a high-energy 80s and 90s DJ set. Additional performers include CL Smooth (“T.R.O.Y.”), Capone-N-Noreaga (“Bang Bang,” “Grimy”), members of Wu-Tang Clan, Memphis Bleek, Tony Touch, Redman, Eric B & Rakim, and Busta Rhymes, as well as Uptown Records, who gave the audience a blast from the past with their New Jack Swing stylings.

With LL Cool J leading the charge, fans were treated to an event that honored the past in the name of pushing Hip-Hop culture forward.

Here are photos of the performances and candid moments that took place during the 2025 Rock the Bells Festival.