This year’s Coachella isn’t even at its second weekend, and the festival already graced fans to many awesome moments. One of them certainly occurred during Gorillaz’s set, during which mastermind Damon Albarn brought out a slew of musical guests. Moreover, he brought out the iconic rap group De La Soul during the set, which was graced with incredible visuals from fellow Gorillaz mastermind Jamie Hewlett. During the concert, Maseo and Posdnuos (or rather, Plug Three and Plug One) came out to perform their legendary collaboration, “Feel Good Inc.” With Maseo’s monstrous laugh leading the way, everyone on stage and in the crowd had a fantastic time.
In addition, they took some time to honor the loss of Dave “Trugoy The Dove,” Jolicoeur also known as Plug Two, who tragically passed away earlier this year. Specifically, the three men locked arms and shoulders as a graphic honoring Trugoy displayed on stage. In a seeming moment of tribute, Albarn asked the crowd to be completely silent before entering their next number. Whether it was fans of Gorillaz or die-hard De La Soul listeners, everyone in the crowd seemed to communally mourn but also celebrate Plug Two’s life and legacy.
De La Soul Performing “Feel Good Inc.” With Gorillaz
Despite that, the tragedy also coincided with a lot of due respect and amazing opportunities for De La Soul. For example, they recently joined the lineup of the “N.Y. State Of Mind” tour, spearheaded by Nas and Wu-Tang Clan. With that addition, fans can now see three absolute titans of the hip-hop genre on the same night, which is exciting as it is historically special. Said news is especially great considering a whole new generation of fans can now listen to De La’s entire catalog on streaming services. Whether you like alternative hip-hop, classic boom-bap, or hardcore rap, there’s something for everyone on this nationwide trek.
Meanwhile, De La Soul, much like Gorillaz, is a classic group that will keep on giving. Moreover, DJ Drama recently announced a Gangsta Grillz mixtape with the hip-hop legends. As they remember and celebrate Trugoy’s life, the future is bright for a much-overlooked part of rap history. For the latest news and updates on Gorillaz and De La Soul, check back in with HNHH. Also, you can find more performance highlights below.
“Did you notice the wind stop?” Blackpink’s Rosé asked a crowd of thousands of screaming fans during their main stage headlining set. “I think it was all the Blinks,” she said. It was an example of how everyone, including the weather, seemed to stop in anticipation of Blackpink’s historic set during day two of Coachella 2023. With artists like the K-pop megagroup, Rosalía, Labrinth, and Jai Paul‘s first-ever concert, day two was certainly one to remember. Let’s recap what we saw.
Friday night, Bad Bunny became the first-ever Latin solo artist to headline the main Coachella stage. This time, Blackpink were the ones making history. The girl group became the first-ever Korean act to headline the festival, and they certainly delivered on expectation. The four pop stars opened with their hit number “Pink Venom” and it didn’t take long for fireworks to light up the stage, mirroring the group’s explosive energy. Everything from their engaging choreography to their black-and-pink outfits were expertly planned. A long stage bisecting the crowd allowed them ample space to move around and highlight their collective force, while the big-screen cameras were more focused on giving each of the individual performers their spotlight moment. After launching into tracks like “Kill This Love” and “How You Like That,” Blackpink gave each member the opportunity to shine with their solo efforts. Jennie was first, singing her solo number “You & Me” complete with a dance break. Jisoo, the last Blackpink member to release a solo track, delivered her song “Flower,” which dropped only a few weeks ago. Rosé was next with a version of “On The Ground” and “Gone” and Lisa came last in the solo act lineup with her track “Money,” which had the crowd screaming along.
Blackpink’s set wasn’t the only historic Coachella performance of the night. All eyes were on Jai Paul, who had his first-ever performance. That’s right — not just his first-ever Coachella performance, but his first time performing live ever. The UK artist gained popularity over a decade ago but took an extended hiatus after his music was leaked online. In 2019, the artist returned to drop his music in an official capacity. Because Jai Paul isn’t used to performing in front of a crowd, much less to a crowd of thousands at one of the biggest festivals in the world, it was clear he had some understandable nerves. Unlike seasoned performers like Blackpink or Charli XCX, Jai Paul didn’t address the crowd during his set or try to hype up the audience. Instead, he walked out on stage and launched straight into the music. Even still, his dance-y beats and impressive falsetto vocals were enough to win over the crowd as he played fan-favorite tracks like “Jasmine,” “BTSTU,” and “Str8 Outta Mumbai.”
Philip Cosores
Speaking of stage presence, Charli XCX was in full pop star mode. Backed by an electric stage design and small group of immensely talented back-up dancers, Charli showed off her full potential with fun choreography and hyped-up crowd engagement. She continually addressed the crowd during her set, keeping the energy high and eliciting consistent screams of approval from fans. She even shouted out the other artists who would take the main stage after her, saying: “This song is for all my bad girls out there. All the bad girls who came to see me, Rosalía and BLACKPINK in your f*cking area.” It seemed like the entire festival was collectively jumping to songs like “I Love It” and “Vroom Vroom.” She also brought out a surprise guest; fellow singer Troye Sivan joined her for an engaging rendition of “1999” that had the crowd partying like it was 1999.
Rosalía was another seasoned performer who took the Coachella stage. As those watching the livestream at home saw, Rosalía really put her all into her emotional set. At one point, the singer dimmed the lights and poured her heart out to “Diablo.” The singer’s choreography and camera work were un-matched but as a viewer at the festival, it felt like Rosalía was much more focused on giving a performance to the livestream camera rather than to the crowd. Still, she had some touching fan interactions, like when she grabbed one of the cameras and walked out to the crowd barrier to let some fans scream her lyrics into the microphone. Later on in her set, Rosalía brought out a special guest: her recent fiancé, Rauw Alejandro. Together, the two delivered a few tracks off their collaborative EP and shared some adorable moments on stage.
Philip Cosores
Rosalía and Charli XCX weren’t the only artists to bring out big stars during their set. Labrinth closed out the Mojave tent on Saturday night, inviting none other than Billie Eilish to perform their joint track “Never Felt So Alone” to the delight of the screaming crowd. He displayed his powerful vocals while delivering a number of intimate tracks like “Mount Everest” and “Still Don’t Know My Name.” Similarly, Boygenius’ set had many intimate moments, though the crowd was much more sparsely attended since fans had already started packing in to see Blackpink at the next stage over. The group consisting of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus kicked off their set with the a cappella number “With You Without Them” and a hard-rocking rendition of “$20” before moving into quieter numbers like “Emily I’m Sorry.”
Bad Bunny made history during the opening night of Coachella. During his closing set on the festival’s main stage, the “Ojitos Lindos” rapper became the first Latin music artist to headline the staple music event. Prior to his record-setting performance, he took to social media to let his fans know that as part of his set, he had a message to give them in the form of music. “I have so much to tell you,” wrote the entertainer. However, nowhere in his on-stage appearance did he make mention of his rumored relationship with model and reality TV star Kendall Jenner.
Bad Bunny brought out a heap of special guests, Post Malone, Jhay Cortez, Ñengo Flow, and Jowell & Randy. But it’s who he didn’t bring on stage that has fans buzzing. Returning to the Empire Polo Grounds on April 15, the supposed couple, along with a few friends, were seen enjoying Rosalía’s performance.
Neither Bad Bunny nor Jenner has spoken publicly about each other and whether they are indeed an item. Jenner has recently split from her longtime on-and-off-again ex-boyfriend, professional basketball player Devin Booker. Meanwhile, Bunny is currently battling a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend, Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, for the unauthorized use of her voice throughout his groundbreaking album, Un Verano Sin Ti.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Tonight (April 15), Jai Paul delivered his first live performance — ever. Paul made his live concert debut on the Mojave Stage at Coachella.
Granted, while fans weren’t sure what to expect from a Jai Paul performance, given the fact that there’s nothing to really go off of, his set was one of the biggest draws at this year’s festival. During his set, Paul performed some fan favorites, including “Genevieve” and “100,000.” It’s worth noting that while fans on-site were able to capture parts of the performance, the live stream wasn’t shared on YouTube, thus adding to Paul’s elusivity.
Over the course of more than years in the industry, Paul has laid relatively low. Since signing to XL Recordings in 2011, he has only released three official singles, however, his early material has greatly influenced the music landscape as a hole. “BTSTU” has been sampled by artists like Drake and Beyoncé, and “Jasmine” received much critical acclaim upon its release.
Shortly before his Coachella performance, Paul released a compilation called Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) on vinyl. This is a collection of demos that leaked online 10 years ago, but never materialized into an actual album. Only 3,000 copies of the vinyls were made available for a brief period of 24 hours.
You can check out clips of Jai Paul’s first-ever live performance at Coachella above.
Jai Paul performed live for the first time in his career at Coachella on Saturday night. The elusive pop artist took over the Mojave Stage to perform several fan-favorites, including “Genevieve” and “100,000.” The only videos from the event to be found online come from fans on the ground, as the performance wasn’t featured on the live stream on YouTube for Coachella.
Ahead of his appearance at the iconic music festival, Jai Paul shared a statement admitting he was nervous about the show. “Yoo it’s Jai… this weekend I’m gonna be playing my first ever live show,” he began in the note for his fans. “I always wanted to do something like this but yeah Im not gonna lie I am absolutely shitting it. Anyway, I just wanted to let u lot know how much I appreciate all you staying with me for all this time. Hopefully it’s gonna be worth it. Rehearsals been going good so far i reckon… Not long to go innit. For those of you able to make to make it out there, i will see you in a few day.”
The Crowd At Coachella
Coachella Valley, CA – April 15: People walk out from Sofi Tukker’s performance on day two of the first weekend at Coachella on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Coachella Valley, CA. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images).
On stage, Jai Paul brought out no guests and provided fans with absolutely no between-songs banter, according to Pitchfork. While many fans on social media were excited about witnessing Jai Paul’s “legendary” performance, others were unhappy about there not being any livestream for the fans at home. “how i’m going to bed tonight that coachella pulled jai paul set from livestream…,” one wrote with a Wolverine meme. Another wrote, “aaaaaaand jai paul coachella stream replaced with a rerun of snail mail. incredible consistency from jai paul on the world stage. i love him so much.”
Jai Paul released his last project, Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones), back in 2019. The album consisted primarily of official versions of leaks from 2013. Check out some clips from Jai Paul’s Coachella appearance below.
Jai Paul At Coachella
Jai Paul has taken the stage at Coachella for his first-ever live performance.pic.twitter.com/J4y7fbkADR
Kendall Jenner was in attendance for Bad Bunny’s performance on Friday night at Coachella. She watched on alongside her sister, Kylie, and other friends as the singer performed some of his biggest hits. Jenner has been romantically linked to Bad Bunny since February. The two were recently spotted sharing a kiss after a sushi date in Los Angeles and going horseback riding together.
During his time on stage, Bad Bunny appeared to address the rumors circulating about his personal life. “People don’t know the reality of what I feel in my heart,” he said, once translated to English. “You’re not going to know me from a video on TikTok, an interview, or what people are saying about me. If you want to get to know me, I’ll invite you over to my house for a beer.”
Bad Bunny At Coachella
INDO-CA-APRIL 14, 2023: Bad Bunny performs at Coachella Weekend one on April 14, 2023. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Prior to being linked to Bad Bunny, Jenner was in a long-term relationship with Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker. The two initially called it quits in June 2022 after spending two years, but they reconciled for a brief period later that year. According to Us Weekly, Booker still holds out hope that Jenner and Bad Bunny aren’t serious with one another. “Devin doesn’t believe for one minute that Kendall and Bad Bunny’s relationship is that serious,” a source told the outlet. “He doesn’t think he’s her type and finds it difficult to believe there’s any longevity there between them.”
Amid the rumors of dating Jenner, Bad Bunny seemed to diss Devin Booker in his verse for Eladio Carrión‘s “Coco Chanel.” “Yo no soy malo, nah, bebé, eso e’ un gimmick / Pero el sol de PR calienta má’ que el de Phoenix / Ella lo sabe,” he sings on the track. When translated into English, the lyrics roughly mean, “I’m not bad, baby that’s a gimmick / But the sun in Puerto Rico is hotter than in Phoenix / She knows it.” Check out Bad Bunny’s comments from Coachella below.
Last year, Rosalía’s third studio album, Motomami was one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of the year. The album spawned hits like “Chicken Teriyaki,” “Despechá,” and “Hentai,” all of which, she performed during her hour-long set.
But also, during her set, Rosalía brought out a special surprise guest. During a performance of “Beso” from Rosalía was joined by her collaborator and boyfriend, Rauw Alejandro. This reveal was met with cheers and applause from the audience.
While on stage, Rosalía and danced as if they were the only ones in the world, despite being surrounded by dancers performing top tier choreography, and an audience who sang along to every word, not missing a single beat. Rosalía and Alejandro also got a bit steamy with their dancing, which got a rise out of the crowd.
Throughout her set, Rosalía maintained a creative, festive energy, while pushing the bounds of what it means to be a pop star in 2023. As pop approaches a more language-neutral landscape, Rosalía sets the scene for what the future of music looks like.
Diddy shared an adorable video of himself and his youngest daughter, Love, in the gym on Instagram ahead of his Coachella appearance. The Bad Boy boss joined Metro Boomin on stage, Friday night, during the iconic producer’s set. The Weeknd also performed alongside him, debuting new music for the fans.
“Me and #BabyLOVE getting ready for Coachella tonight!!!” Diddy captioned the post. “LOVE! LOVE!!.” Fans were enthralled with the cute clip. “Bet diddy know all his kids names lol he a good dad though,” poking fun at Nick Cannon seeming to forget one of his children recently. Another fan wrote, “Okay Diddy I see u getting healthy for baby Love.. That’s great.. But u never seen a man get healthy for his kids that a great thing and I hope other men see this and that’s wat they take away from this post.”
Diddy With His Family
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 25: (L-R) Justin Dior Combs, Christian Casey Combs, Quincy Taylor Brown, Sean “Diddy” Combs, D’Lila Star Combs, Chance Combs and Jessie James Combs attend the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Sean “Diddy” Combs on January 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Back in 2021, Diddy reflected on how he became closer to his daughters during the COVID-19 pandemic. “For me, my life got better because I was running myself into the ground, and I wasn’t taking enough time for my family and for myself. It’s really been a blessing,” he told Clive Davis. “I lost the mother of my children and the time that [my kids and I] were sequestered together, it helped me to make up for all those years I was on tour and to get closer to my family. For me, it’s been a blessing, but really using the time to become a better father and a better person.”
Diddy is the father of seven children in total. He announced the birth of Love on Twitter in December 2022. He did not reveal the identity of the mother at the time. “I’m so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world,” he wrote in the post.
I mean, would you expect anything less from the Cocaine Cowboy? Pusha T just wowed audiences with his set on Coachella 2023‘s first day on Friday (April 14). Not only did he welcome them to “Cokechella” via a massive sign on stage, but played a lot of his modern hits. For example, he opened with “Let The Smokers Shine The Coupes,” went to “Neck & Wrist,” “If You Know You Know,” “Mercy,” and many more. Furthermore, he donned an all-white ensemble to fit the occasion and emphatically rapped through his many quotables on albums like DAYTONA and, most recently, It’s Almost Dry. If that’s his quality standard, who knows what he could bring us next?
However, not everyone is a huge fan of King Push for some reason, which recently became a hot topic of debate. Moreover, Dipset legend Jim Jones recently appeared on the Rap Caviar podcast, where they debated Billboard and VIBE‘s list of the 50 greatest rappers of all time (Push landed at No. 29). While not everyone agreed with his take, he stood by the former G.O.O.D. Music president not deserving a spot on there.
Pusha T Makes It Snow In The Desert At Coachella
“What has he done that puts him in the greatest rappers of all time besides talk about coke that he probably didn’t get himself?” Jim Jones challenged. “He’s nice as s**t. He could rap his a** off, but what has he done? Nobody has dressed like him. Nobody wants to be like Pusha T. I don’t remember nothing. And let’s not be evil, but we don’t talk about rap where the n***a that’s popping, the bitches wanna f**k and the n***as wanna be like. I don’t know too many n***as in this game that was leaning towards being like Pusha T.”
Regardless of your take on that assessment, if the Clipse member heard about it, he must’ve arrived at “Cokechella” with a vengeance. As far as pure hip-hop, it’s hard to think of other sets during the festival that will match that energy. That being said, amazing acts like Metro Boomin (and his high-profile guests), Doechii, Saba, and more also performed on Friday. As far as the rest of the weekend in hip-hop, we have Flo Milli, Kenny Beats, $UICIDEBOY$, GloRilla, Rae Sremmurd, Paris Texas, and many more to look forward to. Regardless, stick around on HNHH for the latest news and updates on Coachella and, of course, Pusha T. Also, click the link below to see the MC’s full tracklist at “Cokechella.”
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(@MayleenTheOne) April 16, 2023
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