Last night, the folks at Guerilla Union announced the lineup and dates for Rock the Bells 2012 and a couple new surprises to its format.
In an obvious attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Coachella's decision to clone itself, this year's Rock the Bells will be expanding its lineup to two consecutive days in its three host cities.
Check out a full list of performers after the jump!
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This year, the festival will kick off on San Bernardino August 18 and 19
before moving to Mountain View, CA, on August 25 and 26. The tour wraps
September 1 and 2 in Holmdel, NJ.
But that's not the only thing
different about RTB in 2012. Usually dedicated to preserving an air of
hip-hop nostalgia, this year presents us with a stunning amount of
rappers from hip-hop's freshman class, including Mac Miller, J. Cole and
Kendrick Lamar.
Since 2010, Golden Era headliners of the annual
hip-hop festival have performed their most iconic albums in their
entirety. And while that certainly continues this year with top-billed
act Bone Thugs-n-Harmony spitting bars from their classic album E. 1999,
the significant integration of new talent suggests that Golden Era fans
might not be as apt to travel out to festivals as they reach their
golden years.
The pre-sale will begin on Friday, May 18 at 10 a.m. PST — 10 p.m.
PST. The general on-sale starts on Saturday, May 19 at 10 a.m. PST. More
information can be found on www.rockthebells.net.
Rock the Bells 2012
Hosted by RZA and Supernatural
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony performing E. 1999
Missy Elliot and Timbaland
Kid Cudi
Nas
Wiz Khalifa
J. Cole
Lupe Fiasco
Ice Cube
Mac Miller
Atmosphere
Dipset
Kendrick Lamar
Method Man and Redman performing Blackout
Deltron 3030
The Hit Squad
A$AP Rocky
Tyga
Immortal Technique
2 Chainz
E-40 and Too $hort
DJ Quik
Naughty by Nature
Big Daddy Kane
Salt-N-Pepa
Slick Rick
Prodigy
Yelawolf
DJ Lance Rock
Ab-Soul
Jay Rock
Schoolboy Q
Murs and Fashawn
Zion I and Grouch and Eligh
Dom Kennedy
Watsky
