Burna Boy, Metro Boomin Set for India Debut at Rolling Loud 2026

Nigerian Grammy-winning singer Burna Boy is set to headline the opening day of Rolling Loud India 2026 alongside American record producer Metro Boomin, with both artists scheduled to make their first performances in India at the two-day festival in Mumbai on December 12 and 13.

The festival organisers announced the line-up on October 19, naming Burna Boy and Metro Boomin among the leading acts for December 12, while British rapper Skepta and Indian Punjabi music star Karan Aujla will headline the second day. The event marks the festival’s return to India following its inaugural edition in 2025.

Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, has built an international audience with a sound that blends Afrobeats, dancehall, reggae and hip-hop influences. He won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 2021 for Twice as Tall, adding to a career that has taken Nigerian music to major stages across Europe, North America and other parts of the world.

His appearance in India will introduce his live performance to a new audience in a country with a large and increasingly visible music market. Metro Boomin, meanwhile, is known for producing hit records for leading American hip-hop artists, including Future, 21 Savage, Drake and Travis Scott. His production catalogue and collaborations have helped establish him as one of the most recognisable figures behind contemporary US rap.

The first-day programme will also feature American rapper Big Sean, alongside performers including GoldLink, Dhanda Nyoliwala, Paal Dabba, Steel Banglez, SoSoCamo, Snappy Kaal and Jorjiana. The wider bill brings together artists from different markets and musical backgrounds, with Indian hip-hop represented across regional scenes and languages.

The second day will be led by Skepta, a British rapper associated with the rise of grime music, and Karan Aujla, who returns after headlining the festival’s first Indian edition. Other performers announced for the event include ScHoolboy Q and additional international and Indian acts. Organisers have presented the festival as a platform for bringing established global names together with artists emerging from India’s own hip-hop community.

Rolling Loud was established in the United States and has expanded into an international festival brand, staging events in different markets as hip-hop audiences and artists increasingly cross national boundaries. Its India edition is being produced in partnership with District, the Indian events and ticketing platform. The venue for the 2026 festival had not been publicly announced in the reports accompanying the line-up reveal.

Rolling Loud co-founder and chief executive Matt Zingler said the organizers had been influenced by the openness of Indian audiences to a range of music and by the response to performances from both international and local acts at the previous edition. District chief executive Rahul Ganjoo also pointed to India’s grassroots hip-hop culture, including local performances and rap cyphers, as an important consideration in shaping the programme.

For Burna Boy, the booking adds another international market to a career that has helped expand the reach of Nigerian music beyond Africa. His appearance alongside Metro Boomin also places an Afrofusion artist at the centre of a festival strongly associated with hip-hop, reflecting the increasingly fluid boundaries between rap, Afrobeats and other contemporary urban music styles. The festival’s success will depend not only on its international headliners but also on how effectively it connects those acts with India’s diverse local hip-hop audiences.