Rock The Bells President, James Cuthbert On Relaunching The Rock The Bells Festival With LL COOL J

James Cuthbert is the president of Rock the Bells, a global lifestyle brand media company founded by LL COOL J that serves as the foremost outlet for classic Hip-Hop. Yet, Cuthbert doesn't know where he would be without the rhythm and poetry musical genre in his formative years.

"I remember, in middle school, this is like the early 90s and when Wu-Tang first came out, carving a GZA in all the desks at school because I wanted to be part of the Wu-Tang," he says, chuckling at his devotion to his Hip Hop fandom. "I remember the first time I heard De La Soul, Three Feet High and Rising and running around my house screaming "Buddy," and not knowing what they were talking about."

However, little did Cuthbert know at the time how the genre would guide him in his professional life. The turning point in his career was when he landed a position at Sprite in 2014 to head their music sector. The company gave Cuthbert carte blanche to infuse Hip Hop culture in product marketing authentically.

"It doesn't have to be brand coming and making the culture look silly or having you to shuck and jive or dance. You can authentically portray the talent. We did a program with Drake, Rakim, Biggie, Tupac, and J Cole, and I knew my path was not [only] making a living, but I can follow my passion which is finding ways to elevate Hip Hop culture, a culture, which has meant so much to me," he says, self-reflecting.

Now that a judge awarded LL COOL J the trademark of Rock The Bells and all its intellectual property from a former promoter who illegally used the name based on his 1985 hit, the inaugural festival will take place under new management on Saturday, August 6, 2022, in his hometown of Queens, New York.

Rock The Bells was first launched in 2018 as a SiriusXM radio station, as the premiere digital platform to aggrandize the Hip-Hop culture from its inception to present-day across content, commerce, and experiential offerings.

With Cuthbert at the helm, he once again has the opportunity to combine his love of the art form with his business acumen and host a defining festival that brings the culture to life. The festival is curated by LL COOL J, and they both were mindful of all the nuances to execute the brand properly.

"When [thinking] about when to do it, [we thought] right around the anniversary of Hip Hop, which is just a few days later in August. [We were] very thoughtful of the birthday of Hip Hop when to launch the festival and what to accomplish by doing it, which is to elevate the culture," Cuthbert says.

Attendees of the festival will be blown away by the dope musical line up which will include: the master of ceremony himself, LL COOL J, Ice Cube, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Lil Kim, Diplomats featuring Cam'Ron, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Jadakiss, Scarface, Trina, N.O.RE, Digable Planets, Roxanne Shante, and the list continues.

According to DJ Scratch, the festival's ability to assemble so many iconic artists in the genre to perform is evident that Hip Hop remains the voice of the proletarian.

"It's the genre that's the most expressive on social issues, political issues & racial issues, issues of 'the people.'

Houston rap legend Bun B adds, "The sense of community that Hip hop fans feel at gatherings like Rock The Bells is the most important thing that this festival represents. Human connectivity is vital to mental health, especially coming out of a pandemic [and] getting back to some sense of normalcy requires us coming together in shared spaces to commune again."

Festival goers can also partake in Hip Hop themed cuisine in the food court.

"So partnering with Bun B on the Trill Mealz Food Court, working with Nas on a Sweet Chick, and Ghostface on his killer coffee, and several other artists to curate this incredible bespoke event. We're also partnering with Sirius XM on a cool on-site activation. Our presenting sponsor, Procter & Gamble, will come with their brands King C. Gillette and My Black Is Beautiful, which will also be activating on-site. So just creating cool moments in and around the festival with breakthrough visuals and art and some breakthrough merch that we're excited to launch as well."

The synergy of different artists and their businesses working together can be difficult within the Black community. However, Rock The Bell is the only brand owned and operated by the creators and keepers of the culture.

"When the company was founded, this was not about LL COOL J; this was about LL COOL J as an ambassador to the culture. So we've carved out an equity pool and gave equity to 14 icons within Hip Hop. So everybody from Eminem to Run DMC to Roxanne Shante, to Kool Herc, who founded HipH op to Fab Five Freddy, to a whole host of others have equity in what we're doing," Cuthbert says. He also expounds that the company, the festival, and other immersive experiences were built from the ground up with the culture in mind and the belief that the creator should own the craft and the monetization that occurs on the business side.

"For us, it's natural for us to play all these artists' music on Rock The Bells on the Sirius XM channel. We strongly believe that the culture is stronger together. It needs more cultural continuity, not just bringing together the icons and the legends of Hip Hop, but also putting our hands around the next generation and bridging the gap and bringing those folks together as well," he says.

Initially scoffed by music critics at its inception, however, today, Hip Hop is a formidable musical genre grossing $15.7 billion in 2016, and annual revenue estimated growth at an increase of $4.08 billion yearly.

Rolling Stone gauges that the rap industry dominates 31 percent of the musical market, and its impact domestically and globally continues to expand.

Modern-day Hip Hop artists can command major brand deals and endorsements, and in Cuthbert's opinion, Hip Hop is not waiting for acceptance; it is boldly breaking down doors and taking names, demanding its respect. He emphasizes how the popular music genre influences every part of society. For example, in fashion, with the promotion of the late Virgil Abloh, a fashion designer who took the role of artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection in 2018. Or how Basquiat's street art sold well into the nine figures, artists are in a better position today to take advantage of ownership and revenue generation.

"I'm rooting for the entire culture to continue to expand and stretch out and make our mark," says Cuthbert.

In addition to providing a top-tier entertaining experience through the festival, Cuthbert is also giving back to the community by donating some of the proceeds from the ticket sales towards the Universal Hip Hop Museum because "Hip Hop deserves that."

For more information, visit RockTheBells.com/festival and follow Rock The Bells on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.