While Rolling Loud remains the definitive hip-hop festival, Tariq Cherif's brainchild stemmed from humble beginnings. Originally conceived as a means of helping emerging artists like Curren$y and Wale land consistent shows, the opportunity for legitimate business quickly became evident. We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with one half of the Rolling Loud powers-that be, and partook in a wide-ranging discussion on the ins-and-outs of running a music festival. To nobody's surprise, there are hurdles at every corner; sometimes, they even come from within the lineup itself. After all, this is hip-hop, and beefs tend to pop off seemingly out of the blue.
When asked about navigating the troubled waters of inter-lineup beef, the process is intricate. "The first thing we do is figure out who has beef," reveals Cherif. "We look into it some more, and try to divide those guys on different days. For instance, X and Migos had a beef, so they had to be on different days...We let each management know, like, don't come the day you're not performing. We don't want problems at our festivals."
"Everyone knows what happened with Lil B," he continues. "Things do happen, but we try to like, keep a lid on it." If you're interested in an alternative yet crucial player in the hip-hop extended universe, be sure to bear witness to the wisdom of Tariq Cherif. Would-be event planners, take notice.
