LL Cool J Opening a Hip-Hop Themed Food Court (The ‘90s Called, It Wants Its Ideas Back)

Photo:  Cindy Ord (Getty Images)

While malls definitely still exist, the rise of online retailers and a global pandemic make them seem like a thing of the past. And, to us, that’s a real bummer. This is because we have vivid memories of one area of our local mall in particular. And no, we’re not talking about The Gap or even Spencer Gifts. We’re referencing the iconic, nostalgia-filled food court. From random local eateries, to fast food chains, to strange food options that nobody ever seemed to purchase, the food court had it all. Our love for the food court is deep and endless. That’s why we were so excited to hear that LL Cool J is opening a hip-hop-themed food court.

But our excitement soon turned to dismay as we learned that the rapper and Deep Blue Sea actor wasn’t actually opening a nostalgic, hip-hop-themed food court at our local mall or literally any mall. It’s a food court at Rock The Bells Festival, a music festival.

Curated by Bun B, it’s called The Trill Mealz Food Court and it will feature hip-hop-themed restaurant choices. But they’re not just dishing up random rap and hip-hop puns. The food vendors are actually hip-hop artists and rappers. They include the likes of E-40, Jadakiss, Ghostface Killah, Mia X, the aforementioned Bun B, and even Nas. But like any great food court, there will also be random local eateries included in the mix.

To visit this truly memorable food court, you must be a fan in attendance at the Rock The Bells Festival presented by Proctor & Gamble brands Gillette and My Black Is Beautiful. It takes place on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022, in Queens, New York, at Forest Hills Stadium. Our only hope is that it’s so popular that LL Cool J and others decided to actually open a hip-hop-themed, nostalgia-soaked food court sometime in the future. We’d definitely stop by on our way to B. Dalton’s or FYE. Those are still stores, right?