Travis Scott Makes a Comeback on Day Two of Rolling Loud 2023

The temperature continued to soar on the second day of Rolling Loud. But festival-goers powered through as they enjoyed sets from the likes of GloRilla, El Alfa, Luh Tyler, 21 Savage, and Ski Mask the Slump God.

Saturday really was all about Travis Scott, however. After the Astroworld tragedy of 2021, all eyes seemed to be on the rapper. As it turned out, Scott's performance went without a hitch, though it was evident he was more conscious of the safety of his audience. Whereas he'd previously encouraged fans to go wild, there was none of that at Hard Rock Stadium.

Below are highlights from the second day of Rolling Loud 2023.

Chow Lee

I'm a proud "Hornitos," telling anyone willing to listen that 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy was one of the best albums of 2022. But on Saturday, something seemed to be missing from Chow Lee's performance that prevented it from connecting with festivalgoers. Typically, the New York rapper's magnetic flow causes every beat he hops on to revolve around his formula of X-rated lyricism. None of that was in evidence during Chow Lee's early slot on the goPuff stage, despite the fact that diehards like me had come to soak up that energy. To make matters worse, audio issues caused his vocals to sit below the backing track, only to pop in randomly before submerging again. Stevenson Altidor

Lola Brooke

Lola Brooke's music is larger than life. It's for the Brooklyn girls, the city girls, the Miami girls, the girls' girls, and even for the men. And that's why at 5 p.m. at the goPuff stage, everyone from all walks of life jammed together, elbow to elbow, to hear the Brooklyn emcee make her Rolling Loud Miami debut. For the youthful crowd of (mostly) women that screamed throughout her performance of "Don't Play with It," it wasn't all about the visuals or the aesthetics; it was about how powerful it made us feel as we sang along. Owing to schedule pushbacks and technical issues that accrued as the day seared on, her set lasted only about 15 minutes. That's a shame: She used those 15 minutes to prove she's among the most exciting new rappers. Valerie Magan

GloRilla

Beside me was a woman in a purple swimsuit rapping, "Got the bread, got the head, then I sent him to his mom," threatening me with a finger-gun hand gesture. I was too occupied rapping "Looking like a lick or some" back to her to care. That's just the kind of music GloRilla makes, pushing aside anything that gets in her way — men, friends, anything that holds her up is disposable. On Saturday, she dressed like the marquee act at a WWE pay-per-view event. Clad in a purple, white, and red top with matching shorts and boots, the Memphis rapper followed Lola Brooke on the goPuff stage and stood tall despite the continued technical difficulties that dragged down many performances throughout the evening. Stevenson Altidor

El Alfa

"Ella quiere Alfa! Alfa!" the Dominican dembow rapper led the crowd in a chant as he launched into "Coronao Now." His sunset set — the sun was literally shining into our eyes — felt like one big island dance party. There was something in it for everyone: for fans from all of the Latin American countries he shouted out, a taste of home, and for those who don't speak Spanish, an introduction to one of the most dynamic genres on the planet. The set was held together by a dazzling amount of charisma, punctuated by the surprise appearance of rapper C.J., whose performance of "Whoopty" felt like it came out of left field. It was lighthearted, whimsical, and fun, and it all felt like an apt tribute to dembow as we were carried by the infectious melody of "La Mama de la Mama," his most listened-to single to date. Valerie Magan

City Girls

A DJ playing City Girls' "Twerkulator" during a dance break earlier in the day elicited the rowdiest behavior. That made City Girls' appearance on the goPuff stage feel like a breath of fresh air. Despite pushbacks and audio issues from the previous sets, the it-girl team put on a dazzling show full of bounce beats and boosted bass, flanked by choreographed dancers that nearly stole the show. Although they didn't have time to perform "Twerkulator," the songs City Girls did perform ("Take Yo Man," "Where the Bag At," and "Pussy Talk") were ground-shaking. The whole show felt like it was for the girls (rare in a festival that mostly centers on men), as the duo beckoned the women scattered throughout the crowd to let loose in any way they chose. It was another set that threatened to vanish into the maw of technical difficulties, but a City Girls performance never disappoints. Valerie Magan

Luh Tyler

Tallahassee rapper Luh Tyler gets it. Festivals are all about the spectacle, where the best sets leave you marveling at the sheer upscaling of momentum. From a fan throwing a half-eaten turkey leg onto the stage to special guest DDG and current album of the year favorite Veeze joining him to perform "I'm Geeking" and "Law and Order Pts" and finished off with a setlist that scaled up, the 17-year-old rapper thrives in this environment. Unlike many of his fellow performers, he didn't let the heat or the glitches force him out of character. He's a conductor, comfortably navigating his impudent ragers with a mellow, thin vocal that has no prior knowledge of tension. He was the coolest person in the venue and delivered what might have been Saturday's best set. Stevenson Altidor

BabyTron

BabyTron will always be in my heart for teaching me the alphabet. The fan-favorite single "A2Z" closed a fantastic set that made BabyTron appear larger than his slight frame and nasal tone. Before that, it festered concern among some in the crowd. After cramming between sweltering bodies to reach the barricade, one fan asked loudly to one who would listen if he played the song. Rolling Loud might have to go to Detroit real soon. Stevenson Altidor

21 Savage

Not previously known for his high-energy performances (watch anything from pre-2020, and you might think he was standing there bored), 21 Savage has markedly upped his stage presence. His energy finally matches the aggressive, pounding beats in his music. He's still not one for visuals or backup dancers, and the stage and his outfit felt bare-bones, but his vivacity and guests more than made up for it. Joining him onstage for a cover of Nardo Wick's "Who Want Smoke" was fellow rapper G Herbo, and later rapper Young Nudy for a live rendition of "Peaches and Eggplants" and "EA." He kept the energy going as he ran through his collabs with Drake — with whom he's currently on the road for the rapper's It's All a Blur Tour — and fans started to speculate he'd bring him out. No Drake materialized, but 21 knew how to keep the crowd going just the same. Valerie Magan

Ski Mask the Slump God

Everyone loves Ski Mask the Slump God, and Saturday's crowd made sure he knew it. When he hopped offstage to interact with fans, slapping palms and giving half-hugs, one admirer gifted the South Florida rapper with a bouquet, cigarettes, and a deck of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. He returned to the stage in awe, holding the offerings close to his chest with one hand and raising the other in gratitude. Ski Mask's smile stood out amid the pyrotechnics and massive LED screens. A Ski Mask performance is no place to stand and enjoy the music. You're an active participant, where there's an expectation of losing all sense of decorum. There were mosh pits (according to one fan, "That was a weak-ass mosh pit. Last year was better") and fans stumbling on lyrics from unreleased music to the well-known hits. Ski Mask's neck stiffened as his head landed on DJ Scheme's shoulders as both XXXTentacion and Juice Wrld's voices boomed over the speakers. They're with him everywhere he goes, and the fans wanted Ski to know they're here whenever he needs them. Stevenson Altidor

Travis Scott

"Let's take the roof off this mf real quick!" Travis Scott told the teeming crowd amid his Saturday-night set. There was, unfortunately, no roof to tear off at this open-air festival, but everything that transpired afterward would have done precisely that if we'd been indoors. Fireworks and pyrotechnics marked Scott's first return to North American festivals since the Astroworld tragedy, and the rapper seemed in high spirits. Despite the show going on as normal with no serious pauses, there appeared to be an air of caution on his part. Pits were opening up left and right (there's a reason his fans are called the "Ragers"), but it seemed the days of vocally encouraging that are over: At no point did Scott utter the words "open up the pit." Still, the energy was high as fans took things into their own hands, full of celebration as their hero ran through tracks like "Stargazing," "Carousel," and a new song, "Lost Forever." There were a few covers, including a snippet of "Praise God" by Kanye West and "Raindrops (Insane)" by Metro Boomin, and Scott didn't announce any surprise guests — though he did bring up a fan who got to live out his rapper dreams for a moment, joining Travis for a verse of "Butterfly Effect" to 40,000 people. In a way, the 55-minute set felt perfunctory: Scott plugged his upcoming film, Circus Maximus, before announcing that this would be the last Astroworld set, period. "It's the end of an era," a girl beside me said. Her friend nodded in agreement. Valerie Magan