In case you haven’t heard, golf is cool now. Once a sport for stuffy old guys and shady businessmen (what’s the difference, really?), golf has seen an overall change in its public image thanks to companies like Topgolf, new professional promotions like TGL, and endorsements from hip-hop stars like Schoolboy Q.
You can add Rolling Loud to that list. Widely considered the premiere hip-hop festival, Rolling Loud has announced a charity golf invitational ahead of Rolling Loud California this weekend. It’ll be held on March 13 (Friday) at Angeles National Golf Club, with proceeds going to Black Music Action Coalition’s (BMAC) Restore & Rebuild LA initiative. The program’s aim is to provide direct relief to Altadena residents and small businesses affected by the recent fires in Los Angeles County. The tournament will be a two-man scramble format.
Angeles National Golf Club is the perfect venue for the event thanks to its proximity to Altadena, the historically Black neighborhood most devastated by the recent wildfires. With the support of Rolling Loud and community golf club, Swang, Restore & Rebuild LA aspires to help Altadena families remain in their homes and restore some of what was lost.
Swang founder Modi Oyewole said in a statement: “swang was started to create space for those who were never invited but always belonged; to reframe the game through culture for the ones who needed a different entry point to understand that the sport is for them, too. Teaming up with the biggest hip-hop festival in the world, right here in Los Angeles, makes a statement: golf’s next era is here, and it looks like us. With proceeds benefiting Altadena’s fire recovery efforts, this collaboration isn’t just about the future of golf—it’s about giving back to the communities that make it possible.”
Rolling Loud’s Golf invitationals are just one of the ways the festival is pursuing its founders’ goal to bring hip-hop back to its activist roots. Festival co-founder Tariq Cherif talks more about this goal here.
