Lucy Bedroque performs at Rolling Loud 2026.
Mickey @itchyeye / Respective Collective for Rolling Loud
So, why is Rolling Loud making a movie? Well, besides already being one of the biggest festivals on the American circuit, it’s also “kind of the premier rap festival right now,” says The FADER senior reporter Vivian Medithi. “I think it’s nice to imagine this movie as a way for parents and kids to try and understand each other’s interests a little more.”
Starring Owen Wilson and Matt Rife, with cameos from a bevy of artists including Sexyy Red and Ty Dolla $ign, Rolling Loud: The Movie is bravely setting out to see if a music festival can translate into an exciting theatrical experience. The FADER got an exclusive preview of the movie which is hitting theaters on October 2, and ahead, Medithi and The FADER’s social video producer Hajin Yoo sit down to talk about it.
HAJIN YOO: You just watched Rolling Loud: The movie out tomorrow. Can you tell me what it's about?
VIVIAN MEDITHI: Rolling Loud: The Movie is a movie about Owen Wilson and his son bonding at Rolling Loud, the festival. The premise is that Owen Wilson's son really, really, really wants to go to this festival, but his mom won't let him. So Wilson is like, "Time to be the cool dad," but then he loses his son and has to find him. Along the way, he runs into an assorted cast of characters, including cameos from Sexyy Red, Ty Dolla $ign, and — fresh off The Odyssey — Christopher Nolan’s future superstar Travis Scott.
HAJIN: The bard! You might recognize him as the bard from The Odyssey. What was the moment where you laughed?
VIVIAN: Randomly, and honestly this was really just someone in casting being goated, but Henry Winkler’s in the movie? And I don’t want to spoil too much, but he’s Matt Rife’s dad, which is beautifully fried. The sort of intergenerational crossover you want from a movie like this, and you know, he’s a great actor.
HAJIN: The Fonz!
VIVIAN: And he was in Click.
HAJIN: We have both been to Rolling Loud. We went to Rolling Loud together. What did you think about the movie as someone who has been there? Does the movie do a good job capturing the experience?
VIVIAN: You know, they shot a bunch of this movie on the grounds at Rolling Loud Miami. And those sequences work well to give you a vision of what it's like to go to this festival. I think our experience of Rolling Loud can be a little different than the average festivalgoer because –
HAJIN: We get to go to the secret parts.
VIVIAN: Right, we were just backstage interviewing all your favorite rappers. But funnily enough, it reminded me of our intern who went to Rolling Loud in Orlando this year as well.
HAJIN: Yeah, he got really sunburned. I saw him at the airport and then didn’t see him again. I kind of felt like Owen Wilson – but then we saw him back at the office. I assume that Owen Wilson and his son are reunited in the movie? But you’ll have to watch to find out. If people remember when Owen Wilson was for some reason at Rolling Loud last year on stage with Travis Scott, this movie may answer your questions. I don't know if that's a big spoiler.
VIVIAN: Yes, they did in fact film a good portion of Travis Scott's climactic scenes during his actual headlining set at Rolling Loud Miami. Which is kind of crazy if you think about it. Really, really powerful stuff from Travis Scott and the Cactus Jack guys.
HAJIN: Was he a good actor?
VIVIAN: Travis Scott was as great of an actor as you've ever seen him be.
HAJIN: Wow. Travis Scott like you've never seen him before. We're music journalists. Were there good needle drops, would you say?
VIVIAN: I might be a little biased, but my favorite musical cameo was of course Sexyy Red –
HAJIN: Who we also interviewed at Rolling Loud!
VIVIAN: And she had a crazy set at Rolling Loud this year. I thought it was nice too that they had an eclectic mix of Rolling Loud adjacent artists, not just the big stars like the Sexyy Reds and the Travis Scotts, but also longtime underground legends like Ski Mask the Slump God.
HAJIN: Wait, he's in it?
VIVIAN: You are in for a real treat when you sit your ass in the theater.
HAJIN: We'll see you all there.