From the time the sun rises, when the legendary Big Lez is hosting her workout sessions to get your body right, until 4am the next day, when DJ Epps has the whole casino floor packed with people dancing and a-list of MCs rapping along with their own song, the Rock The Bells Cruise, which we did in collaboration with our friends at Sixthman, was a non-stop celebration of Hip-Hop where the cruisers and artists were all part of one big Hip-Hop family. 

The Norwegian Gem pool deck main stage was rocking on day one as Twista came through with his signature high energy performance leaving everyone wondering what could match that. That was the exact moment when Spliff Starr hit the stage setting the table for Busta Rhymes, who came on only after taking a minute to say "thank you" to Kool DJ Red Alert, who was side stage.

After sending a wave of electricity to the 2,200-plus cruisers on board, Busta was giving out more flowers to artists like Roxanne Shante, MC Sha-Rock, DJ Jazzy Jeff and more before making his way off. 

The next day was packed, and just like last year, the performing artists interactions with each other as well as the cruisers is what made this event so memorable. As guests walked past exhibits like the LAW exclusive art gallery which featured exclusive prints, they would causally run into 8Ball & MJG in the Atrium, see Scarface in the dining area, or Jadakiss in the casino. 

Once again, Roxanne Shante and DJ Cool V had the crowd hyped to give the performance of their life on the rap karaoke stage, and if they didn't get up, Roxanne brought the mic to them! Speaking of Roxanne, her and her cruise co-host Torae classed up the joint a little bit with the first "Paint & Pour" which featured a Bob Ross Style instructor giving game on painting, while various wines were being poured and sipped. If you were lucky enough to catch them, artists like Digable Planets and Rhymesayers MC, Sa-Roc had the Stardust Theatre going. 

At night Kid Capri had the place packed with his themed parties which included All Black Everything, a pajama jam and the coveted sneaker ball, while he brought the house down with his timeless set.  

At almost anytime of the day, you couldn't go too far onboard without running into either a legendary DJ like DJ Scratch, Jazzy Jeff or Mannie Fresh, spinning on the pool deck or in one of the other venues on board. If you were lucky enough you would also catch the New Orleans based Soul Rebels bringing that Hip-Hop jazz fusion to the ship in its most elevated form. 

At night it was once again time for some main stage action as 8Ball & MJG and Goodie Mob made sure the place remembered The South still had something to say. For those that missed their sets up top, both played more intimate shows in the theatre. And the Block Ambassador himself, E-40 had everybody on board out here tryna function! 

Speaking of 40 Water, he was also the star of a panel on how he has found success in business, where he was giving out game and answering questions. Other panels onboard included, Jazzy Jeff and Mannie Fresh, who each took the audience through there creative processes in making hits and then Mia X, KLC (Beats By The Pound) along with T-Mo from Goodie Mob and 8Ball & MJG did one on coming up in the South at a time when Hip-Hop barely recognized the region. 

As the ship stopped in the Bahamas, people got off to explore the island, before coming back to keep the party going on board. The legend of legends, Kool DJ Red Alert showed that he's still got the right set to set the room right. Unfortunately Method Man and Redman did not make it, but like Hip-Hop itself, the festivities don't stop. CeeLo was nice enough to come through with a solo set on the main stage, which included his solo hits as well as some from Gnarls Barkley and songs he wrote for others like the famous Pussycat Dolls hit "Don't Cha." 

As the rain came in, Talib Kweli's set got moved inside, but then the weather Gods recognized that the God MC himself, Rakim needed to perform, so the rain stopped, Rakim Allah took the stage and the place went wild, with even other artists watching from backstage geeking out as the legend took us on a journey. 

The "Paid In Full" MC's performance left the place on a high, but little did the crowd know, he would come back to bless the mic again, first with The Soul Rebels and Jazzy Jeff, who also hosted MCs like Sa-Roc, MC Sha-Rock, Torae and Wild N' Out's Hitman Holla, and then with Scarface. 

Scarface's set had the crowd captivated from start to finish, but when 'Face brought Rakim out, it was a moment no one will ever forget. The two had the Hip-Hop world shook even further a few days later when Rakim teased the idea of a joint project on social media. 

One new feature this year, was the autograph sessions which gave fans yet another chance to interact with their favorite artists and get their poster provided by Sixthman signed. There was so much happening for the entire four days, it is hard to cover everything, but on that final night when Jadakiss came out, the whole ship was going crazy.

Kiss took it to Yonkers and had the people rapping along with his every word, before bringing out surprise guest Lil Cease to bring the energy up even more. Once again the backstage area was full of other artists that were a fan of each others embracing and watching 'Kiss drop an iconic set. 

It was nothing short of magic happening on this ship from the performances to behind the scenes where Mannie Fresh started making a beat, which E-40 and Scarface then walked in, heard and started spitting on, leading to a mic being set up and a song being recorded. Then Carlos Overall, the saxophone player from Digable Planets heard it and put some brass on it. 

There truly is nothing like this cruise and we are proud to put our name on it. Extra shout out to our OG Technician The DJ, who spun his own incredible sets as well as sets for Talib Kweli, Rakim, The Soul Rebels, Jadakiss, signed autographs and said fuck sleep.

If you missed it this year, do not miss 2025. Hit up rockthebellscruise.com and sign up to get updates so you don't miss your chance to join us next time.