What Rock The Bells does

Rock The Bells is a Los Angeles-based hip-hop media and entertainment platform founded in 2018 by LL Cool J (James Todd Smith) and co-founder Geoff Yang. The company operates as a full-service cultural platform spanning original film, TV, and audio content; editorial and short-form digital storytelling; live events including the annual Rock The Bells Festival curated by LL Cool J and the Rock The Bells Cruise (a first-of-its-kind hip-hop cruise experience); Rock The Bells Radio on SiriusXM Channel 43 (launched 2018); a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop (shop.rockthebells.com); and BPM (Beats Per Minute), a cultural marketing consultancy that sells brand strategy, content, experiential design, and talent integration services to advertisers.

Rock The Bells generates revenue through five primary streams: (1) professional services brand partnerships and sponsored content with enterprises such as Ford, M&M's, Cheetos, Toyota, Corona, and the CDC Foundation; (2) live event ticketing through the festival and cruise; (3) direct-to-consumer merchandise and limited-edition product drops; (4) content licensing and programming with SiriusXM; and (5) advertising and premium audience re-targeting via its distribution network reaching hundreds of millions of hip-hop fans. The platform serves two principal customer segments: enterprise brand advertisers seeking authentic hip-hop audience engagement (delivered through BPM) and hip-hop culture enthusiasts/consumers seeking curated content, live experiences, and exclusive products.

The company is privately held, has raised $23 million in cumulative venture funding across a $8M round in April 2021 and a $15M Series B in April 2023 led by Paramount Global and Raine Ventures, and operates with 11-50 employees from its Los Angeles headquarters.

Name

Rock The Bells

Legal name

Rock the Bells, Inc.

Website

https://rockthebells.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rock The Bells is a Los Angeles-based hip-hop media and entertainment platform founded by LL Cool J in 2018, operating a festival, cruise, SiriusXM radio channel, e-commerce shop, and cultural marketing consultancy serving enterprise brand advertisers and hip-hop fans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Brand Partnerships and Sponsored Content: Rock The Bells generates significant revenue through strategic brand collaborations and partnered content. Brands such as Ford, M&M's, Cheetos, Toyota, Corona, and the CDC Foundation engage Rock The Bells to create culturally resonant branded content, experiential activations, and multi-platform campaigns leveraging the company's authentic hip-hop credibility and talent network.
2. Live Events and Experiential Experiences: The company produces and monetizes large-scale live events including the Rock The Bells Festival (curated by LL Cool J) and the Rock The Bells Cruise (the first-ever full-scale hip-hop experience at sea). Revenue is generated through ticket sales and associated event commerce.
3. Commerce and Merchandise: Rock The Bells operates an e-commerce shop (shop.rockthebells.com) selling exclusive branded merchandise and lifestyle drops. Products include apparel, accessories, and limited-edition collaborations, extending the hip-hop legacy into physical products fans can wear, collect, and connect with.
4. Rock The Bells Radio (SiriusXM): Rock The Bells Radio, Channel 43 on SiriusXM, curated by LL Cool J and launched in 2018, serves as a content distribution channel. While primarily a brand and audience-building vehicle, it represents a content licensing and programming relationship with SiriusXM.
5. Distribution and Premium Re-targeting: Through its distribution capabilities, Rock The Bells delivers premium re-targeting fueled by culture and rooted in authenticity. Its network of talent and voices reaches hundreds of millions, connecting brands and content to real hip-hop fans through high-impact, culturally credible placements.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rock The Bells is a hip-hop culture platform that operates an integrated ecosystem of live events (the annual Rock The Bells Festival and the Rock The Bells Cruise), a SiriusXM radio channel (Channel 43), an owned merchandise e-commerce store (RTB Shop), and a cultural marketing consultancy (BPM). The platform produces original film/TV/audio content, branded and editorial digital content, custom brand activations, talent services, a content distribution network, and licensed consumer products, serving both hip-hop fans and enterprise brand partners.

Product overview

Rock The Bells is a comprehensive hip-hop media and entertainment platform founded by LL Cool J that operates as a multi-faceted ecosystem. The core offering includes the Rock The Bells Festival (annual hip-hop celebration curated by LL Cool J), Rock The Bells Cruise (the first-ever full-scale hip-hop cruise at sea), and Rock The Bells Radio on SiriusXM Channel 43. The platform also operates RTB Shop for merchandise/e-commerce, and BPM (Beats Per Minute), a cultural marketing consultancy for brand partnerships. Content operations span original film/TV/audio production, branded content, editorial/short-form digital content, custom activations, talent services, and distribution. The company functions as both a content platform and full-service creative studio rooted in authentic storytelling and cultural resonance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rock The Bells Festival: A celebration of Hip-Hop past, present, and future featuring live performances, culture-shifting moments, and community experiences curated by LL Cool J.
• Rock The Bells Cruise
• Rock The Bells Radio
• BPM

Products and services

• Rock The Bells Radio (SiriusXM Channel 43) Hip-hop satellite radio programming distributed on SiriusXM Channel 43, providing listeners with continuous hip-hop music, artist features, and cultural programming tied to the Rock The Bells brand.
• Rock The Bells Festival Annual live music and culture festival celebrating hip-hop, featuring performances, cultural experiences, and brand activations for hip-hop fans nationwide.
• Rock The Bells Cruise First hip-hop themed cruise at sea, offering live performances, artist meet-and-greets, and themed programming for hip-hop fans on a multi-day cruise vacation.
• RTB Shop Direct-to-consumer e-commerce store at shop.rockthebells.com selling branded apparel, accessories, and lifestyle merchandise featuring the Rock The Bells brand and hip-hop culture themes.
• BPM (Cultural Marketing Consultancy) Cultural marketing consultancy that helps enterprise brands (e.g., Ford, M&M's, Cheetos, Toyota, Corona, CDC Foundation) develop culturally resonant campaigns, custom activations, branded content, and targeted audience engagement leveraging Rock The Bells' hip-hop audience and talent network.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Cheetos: Yacht The Basel campaign generated 1,211,411,610 earned media impressions and was named one of Ad Age's Top 5 Campaigns
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SiriusXMcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSiriusXM hosts Rock The Bells Radio on Channel 43, curated by LL Cool J. Launched in 2018, the channel features classic hip-hop anthems, artist-hosted shows (including Roxanne Shante), DJ sets, and exclusive interviews. This partnership serves as a major content distribution and audience reach vehicle for Rock The Bells.
• TicketmastercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicketmaster serves as the official ticketing platform for the Rock The Bells Festival, enabling consumers to purchase tickets to the live event experience curated by LL Cool J.
• FordmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRock The Bells partnered with Ford on the 'Rock The Campus' campaign as part of Ford's Born Brilliance initiative, spotlighting HBCU talent including 2 Chainz at Alabama State University. The campaign generated 280M earned media impressions and $10,000 donations to four HBCU programs.
• M&M'smajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRock The Bells partnered with M&M's for the 'Artist On The Rise' platform, spotlighting emerging R&B artist Jailen Josey and HBCU students. The partnership blended music discovery with cultural celebration, generating over 171M earned media impressions.
• CheetosmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRock The Bells partnered with Cheetos for 'Yacht The Basel,' a fully branded mega-yacht activation at Art Basel Miami featuring Hip-Hop artists and emerging talent. The campaign generated over 1.2B earned media impressions and was named one of Ad Age's Top 5 Campaigns.
• ToyotamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRock The Bells partnered with Toyota for 'The Road Less Traveled,' a content and experiential series featuring Bun B and Lecrae to promote the Toyota Tundra among African American consumers. The campaign generated 12.5M campaign impressions and 1.2M engagements.
• CoronamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRock The Bells partnered with Corona at the inaugural Rock The Bells Festival with a branded 40x40 activation and VIP suite. The partnership drove product sampling, social content, and influencer engagement, achieving a 20.52% engagement rate.
• CDC FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRock The Bells partnered with the CDC Foundation to produce 'Live to the Beat,' a live-streamed event raising awareness of cardiovascular disease in the Black community. The campaign featured Killer Mike, Toya Johnson-Rushing, Big Tigger, and Chef Za, providing heart health education and actionable community engagement.
• Silverback PublishingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRock The Bells collaborated with Silverback Publishing to launch 'Rap Central Station,' a physical vinyl-sized quarterly rap magazine described as the world's first true 'Art Rap Chart' magazine, curated by Chuck D of Public Enemy. Rock The Bells news covered the launch, indicating a collaborative editorial relationship.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mass Appeal: Hip-hop culture media and content brand with a record label, documentary programming, and editorial operations. Directly comparable to Rock The Bells as a hip-hop-rooted multi-product media platform leveraging cultural authenticity.
• Revolt TV: Hip-hop-focused media platform founded by a marquee hip-hop artist (Sean 'Diddy' Combs), spanning TV, digital content, and live events. Closest peer in structure: artist-founded, hip-hop-credibility-led, multi-format media brand.
• Genius: Hip-hop-centric content platform centered on lyrics, artist commentary, and editorial. Comparable as a digital-first hip-hop media destination serving the same core audience RTB targets.
• Complex Networks: Music, fashion, and culture media brand with editorial, video, commerce, and live event operations. Highly comparable multi-format youth-culture platform with established brand and audience scale.
• Vibe Magazine: Long-running hip-hop and R&B culture publication spanning editorial, video, and events. Comparable as a heritage hip-hop media brand targeting the same audience demographic as Rock The Bells.
• Sixthman: Music-themed cruise operator running festivals-at-sea for niche music genres. Directly comparable to Rock The Bells Cruise as a music-cruise experience operator, though RTB Cruise is hip-hop-specific.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: World's largest live entertainment company operating festivals, ticketing, and artist management at massive scale. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the live events and festival production space where RTB Festival and Cruise compete for audience and sponsors.
• AEG Presents: Major live entertainment promoter and venue operator producing large-scale festivals and tours. Comparable as a broader incumbent competitor in the live music event space.

Others

• Beats by Dre (Apple): Premium audio brand with deeply embedded hip-hop cultural marketing, celebrity partnerships, and editorial-style storytelling. Comparable as a hip-hop-rooted brand using cultural credibility as a marketing asset — adjacent rather than directly competitive.
• Translation LLC: Independent creative and cultural marketing agency known for multicultural brand work. Comparable as a competing provider of cultural-marketing services to enterprise brands — adjacent in offering rather than category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RockTheBells
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3i8HMUdubocRRZg5yb9-kg
• Facebookfacebook.com/rockthebellsfestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/rockthebells
• TikToktiktok.com/@rockthebells?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rock The Bells