Rolling Loud 2018

Watching Jaden Smith run and bounce across the stage with a seemingly infinite supply of energy leaves no doubt that the 20-year-old rapper had an incredible time performing his Rolling Loud 2018 set.

Unfortunately, Playboi Carti’s Rolling Loud set Saturday hit none of these marks. The most excited the crowd ever got was before the show when the DJ played A$AP Rocky and Skepta’s song “Praise the Lord.”

As of 2018, trap star Gucci Mane, aka Trap God, aka Big Guwap, aka La Flare, aka Mr. Zone 6 and so on, has amassed 12 studio albums, one soundtrack, seven EPs, 72 mixtapes and 33 singles. With that sort of discography, one can only wonder how the Trap God decided on his setlist for Saturday’s performance.

Self-described as playing “futuristic funk” and “soulful rap,” the 26-year-old St. Louis-based rapper’s sound and voice is reminiscent of his contemporary, Chance the Rapper, but with an overall emphasis that it’s for the bedroom.

No other artist at the Rolling Loud festival was as seasoned or experienced a performer as Pusha T. With more than two decades under his belt, the rapper’s moniker is no longer just in reference to his alleged days as a drug dealer.

Rolling Loud is new to the Bay Area and even newer to Oakland — for its second stint in Northern California, Rolling Loud was held at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum grounds, cementing its status not only as a celebration of rap and hip-hop but also specifically of Bay Area rap and hip-hop.