LL Cool J brings surprise guest on stage during final night of Cincinnati Music Festival

It wouldn't be the Cincinnati Music Festival without a few surprise twists and turns.

The three-day event wrapped up on July 26 at Paycor Stadium, with some noteworthy performances from several R&B icons and hip-hop pioneers.

The Bar-Kays, a funk band from Memphis, Tennessee, were just "Too Hot To Stop" when they brought their signature "Soul Finger" to the Queen City. Then the bad boys of R&B, 112, took us back to the golden age of boy bands, before launching into a tribute to late rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Three-time Grammy winner Toni Braxton performs during the last day of the Cincinnati Music Festival Saturday, July 26, 2025 at Paycor Stadium.

Despite being one of the newer artists to headline the 2025 festival, Lucky Daye sauntered on stage with the confidence of an R&B veteran and had audiences swaying to his neo-soul songs. The one and only, Toni Braxton, had the whole crowd mesmerized by her sultry voice as she performed a compilation of her biggest R&B hits and power ballads.

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But the night went in a different direction when LL Cool J got on stage. Here's what you missed from night three of the2025 Cincinnati Music Festival.

Cincinnati Music Festival 2025: 4 biggest moments from Paycor Stadium's July 26 show

Cincinnati Music Festival pauses show due to severe weather threat

After getting the crowd pumped up with his 1985 hit "Rock the Bells" and his 1995 anthem "Doin' It," LL Cool J, who first appeared on stage in a bedazzled yellow ski mask, had to stop the show due to a severe weather threat in the area.

"There's a lightning order, so we gotta stop," he told the audience.

Just minutes later, an announcement over the stadium intercom informed the crowd that the festival would be paused due to inclement weather. The announcer advised everyone to calmly and safely proceed to the nearest concourse, ramp or stairway for the duration of the delay. He also added that the show would resume after conditions improved.

LL Cool J performs during the final night of the Cincinnati Music Festival at Paycor Stadium on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

Many concert-goers left in droves (understandably) to avoid potential rain. However, thousands of attendees, including myself, braved the lightning for roughly 45 minutes before returning to our seats to finish out the show because ladies really do love Cool J.

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And the "Mama Said Knock You Out" rapper also had some fond words for his Cincinnati fans.

"I just wanna show love to the hometown folks for a second," the rapper said. "Shout out to the promoters and everybody who kept this thing going, because, you know, they could've quit on us. The lightning and all that. You know, it gets a little dicey. So, shoutout to the promoters for giving us that love."

LL Cool J brings out Rev. Run of Run-DMC for a surprise performance

After reigniting the audience post-weather delay, LL Cool J shocked the crowd by bringing out a surprise guest: Rev. Run of Run-DMC.

The duo performed a rendition of Run-DMC's 1984 classic "Rock Box" and 1986 single "It’s Tricky." If you listen closely, you can still hear me screaming from the rafters of Paycor Stadium.

Rev. Run of Run-DMC joins LL Cool J on stage during the Cincinnati Music Festival at Paycor Stadium on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

At the end of their joint performance, Rev. Run addressed the audience, stating, "I love y'all, Cincinnati." He also pointed to a photo of himself with LL Cool J on the jumbotron, adding, "LL, that's us in 1986. That's how long we been rocking. Look at that. I'm about 19 years old."

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"I love you, boy," LL Cool J replied as he hugged the fellow New York rapper.

"I love you," Rev. Run said as he exited the stage.

Cincinnati Music Festival ends with a tribute to Frankie Beverly

During his set, LL Cool J performed several '80s, '90s and early 2000s hits from his discography, such as "Loungin'," "Love You Better," "Around the Way Girl," "Proclivities," "Headsprung," and more, as breakdancers did some impressive acrobatics across the stage. He then ended with a performance of "The Vow," which he dedicated to the late, great Frankie Beverly.

But the homage did not end there.

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The final act of the night consisted of a special tribute to Beverly led by the TMF Band, formerly known as Maze. Special guests included Jubu, Ronald Isley, Joe, After 7, Dave Hollister and Raheem DeVaughn, who each sang a song or two from the late soul singer's timeless musical catalog.

Of course, it wouldn't be a proper Frankie Beverly salute without ending the medley with a rendition of "Before I Let Go," sung by Hollister.

Former Bad Boy Records artist 112 takes the stage, with no mention of Sean 'Diddy' Combs

In addition to the last-minute shakeups at the end of the festival, the night also included a performance from R&B group 112.

The boy band, which originated in Atlanta in the '90s, had once been signed to Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records. The group even collaborated with Combs on a few songs over the years, including their 2001 smash hit "Peaches & Cream."

R&B group 112, perform during the Cincinnati Music Festival at Paycor Stadium on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

Combs was arrested in September 2024 onsex trafficking andracketeeringcharges, but was recently acquitted of the charges on July 2, 2025. Combs was convicted, however, on charges of transportation to engage in prostitution and will be sentenced on Oct. 3, per USA Today.

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The Grammy-winning rapper remains in the Special Housing Unit atBrooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, where he has been held since his arrest.

Many of Combs' former colleagues have spoken out about his personal and professional indiscretions since his arrest. 112, one of the original groups on Combs' label, has also distanced itself from the music mogul, per Hot New Hip Hop. Although the group has yet to formally address the controversy, they did exclude a reference to Combs when reciting a verse from the song "Hypnotize" during a concert in May, the site adds.

112 chose to keep the vibes positive again during their Cincinnati gig, with no mention of Combs during their set. However, the R&B crooners did give special recognition to The Notorious B.I.G., another former Bad Boy artist. They played an assortment of B.I.G.'s most famous songs, including "Juicy," "One More Chance," "Big Poppa," "Wanna Be a Baller," and the Bad Boy remix of the group's 1996 single "Only You," which also features Combs.

However, Diddy's name did get brought up once during the final night of the festival when LL Cool J spit a verse from his 2024 song "The Force," rapping, "Now we sky dwellin', rebelling against the system / Bad Boys before P. Diddy and the Pistons."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: LL Cool J brings Rev. Run on stage during final night of CMF 2025