Coachella 2023 was one for the history books. The beloved music festival in the desert had several high points, including Blackpink and Bad Bunny’s record-setting performances. However, the fallout from Frank Ocean’s seemingly disappointing return to the event is far from over.
Although the “Novacane” singer took the stage for the first weekend, he dropped out of his headlining performance set for the second weekend, which reportedly cost the organizers millions in profits. While Ocean admitted that his solo set was “chaotic” because it had been years since he graced the stage and the live stream was pulled at the last minute, those attending the festival took out their phones to record the performance on social media.
Despite not attending Coachella, according to Variety, Los Angeles-based filmmaker Brian Kinnes was hit with a cease-and-desist by AEG, a festival partner, over unauthorized footage from Ocean’s set. “I’m just combining what’s already publicly available,” Kinnes told the outlet.
Supposedly, Kinnes sourced around 450 Ocean videos posted online over 80 hours. Then Kinnes allegedly sent the best audio clips to a sound engineer to create the final audio file.
“Essentially, [AEG’s] claims are pretty frivolous and almost completely baseless,” said Kinnes as he states, “[I] did not plan on making a single penny” from the video.
AEG disagrees. Although the performance was supposed to be streamed live on YouTube for free, it was not. If it was, the exclusive rights to the footage from Coachella belong to AEG. AEG’s notice demanded that Kinnes “remove and destroy all audio and video content of musical performances from the Festival…failure to do would lead to further legal action.” Kinnes’ footage has since been removed.
However, this isn’t the first time Kinnes has pulled videos across social media of festival footage. In 2017, he created a video of Ocean’s 2014 FYF Fest performance, which was also removed from the internet. Kinnes defends his creations, citing legendary hip-hop group Beastie Boys’ fan-shot 2006 concert film Awesome; I F*ckin’ Shot That!
A quick scroll through Saweetie’s Instagram page reveals just how much she truly cares about beauty and fashion. The gorgeous rapper always posts top-of-the-line content for her fans in videos, pictures, stories, and reels. Currently, she has over 12.8 million followers checking in on her daily life. She also shares her fashionable fits, her ever-changing hairstyles, acrylic nail sets, and red-carpet dresses. In addition, mirror selfies and group shots with her besties are there to see, too. Here’s an inside look at some of her most alluring Instagram posts to date.
Sweetie’s Instagram Reveals Her Fly Side For Coachella
Coachella is one of the biggest music festivals to take place each year continually. Major artists hit the stage in front of a quarter of a million fans to perform their biggest songs. Saweetie made that happen and shared some of the best highlights from the event on the ‘Gram. In a drop-dead gorgeous photo thread, she’s seen wearing a two-piece outfit. Her bra top, covered in colorful bubbles and hair clips, steals the show.
On her bottom half, she’s wearing a pair of mini shorts that reveal tons of skin. Saweete’s over-the-knee high denim boots added some edge. She heavily accessorized with a large flower clasp bracelet, crystal watch, and sparkling rings. She also added a belt made of hairclips, dangling earrings, and a Von Dutch baseball cap. Her super long acrylic nails were red hot with sharp tips, and her long lashes were on point.
Saweetie showed off her long, colorful hair on April 16, 2023. The starlet posted an additional photo thread from a separate day at Coachella. In the leading picture from the thread, she’s seen sitting at the wheel of a luxury vehicle. She elegantly sweeps her baby pink bangs out of her face. Although she isn’t actually tatted up on her upper arm, she’s covered in several press-on tattoos depicting colorful cat images. They somehow perfectly match her hair. Furthermore, in the sixth picture, it’s easy to see her hair in full as it gently blows in the wind. The colorful heart shapes imprinted on the strands of her hair looked impressive. She added a caption that said, “i be chillin,” with a simple pink heart emoji giving casual vibes.
Saweetie’s Instagram is filled to the brim with lovely pictures from the Coachella music festival weekend. She recently uploaded a photo thread wearing a Western-themed two-piece outfit. It shows off her curves in a significant manner. The outfit laces up together in the front with a cut-out section missing over her chest and upper stomach. It also laces up together between her hips with tons of fringe dangling off the sides of her body. The fringe starts at her thighs and goes down her ankles. The pants are designed with a bell-bottom cut that hides the black boots she wore underneath.
Saweetie had the chance to show off her super fit physique and flat stomach in a matchy-matchy denim fit. Her outfit came together with pale blue denim bell-bottom jeans and a matching jacket on top. The jeans were spectacular in their own way, thanks to the fringe and high slits up the front of her calves. The slits stopped right below her knees.
She made sure there wasn’t too much denim on denim by adding a sparkly bra covered in hello kitty charms. She also opted for pink heels with floral print soles, a bright red Coco Chanel handbag, and tons of gold jewelry. Saweetie never skimps out on acrylic nails that make bold statements, and she maintained that energy for this particular look. Additionally, her acrylics were on point, with a clear base covered in shiny silver diamonds.
The truth of the matter is that not every single person can pull off wearing neon colors. Neon is pretty tricky since it requires high confidence and self-assurance. The blinding colors can’t hide since they’re so incredibly loud and bright. Saweetie is the type to rock neon regularly since she exudes confidence, sex appeal, and effortless beauty. She wore a neon green cut-out dress and looked absolutely divine.
In one of the photos, she walks up a staircase showing off the dress’s beautiful fabric, cut, and design. One of the best details about the gown is that it’s sleeveless on one side. On the other side, a billowy sleeve covers her arm from shoulder to wrist. Ultimately, the lack of symmetry makes this particular look stand out compared to other dresses she’s posed in. She accessorized with a pair of dangling earrings and gold heels.
“I think they honestly might be having a hard time booking headliners. There’s not much left. We kind of left the era of great superhero acts, like the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Daft Punk. Their [2006 Coachella set] was the most epic show. Now they book acts like Bad Bunny and Blackpink, who are cool, but they’re just the most Top 40 there is. It’s almost like they’re stadium acts.
[Coachella producers Goldenvoice] have a hard time, because I think there’s not a lot of really culturally relevant new acts. I saw Labrinth. That was amazing. I think that represents real Coachella. He’s part of the zeitgeist. But the rest of it just felt like they had to scramble to find things that were cultural touchstones, but also could bring a big crowd in.”
He then noted that he’s not big on Frank Ocean (but did say he “has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard”) and speculated that “he just doesn’t really care about shows”:
“I don’t think Frank Ocean’s concert needs to be the best or worst anything. It was a show where the ice rink didn’t work and that’s all it needs to be. I didn’t see his show, because I’m not a huge fan. It’s probably a generational thing. I think I was a little older when Frank Ocean came out. I was in my 30s. He has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. I really think he just doesn’t really care about shows. I think that’s Coachella’s fault. He doesn’t really care about his fans, to give them a concert. I don’t think it matters. He’s just a musician. Some people just don’t care.”
Diplo, meanwhile, is heading into a weekend at Stagecoach, another Goldenvoice festival.
This past Friday (April 21), Bad Bunny headlined the first night of Coachella’s second weekend for 2023. As People reports, the billionaire Amazon founder, who was once the wealthiest person in the world (he’s currently third), was seen attending Bad Bunny’s performance alongside partner and reporter Lauren Sánchez, Kris Jenner, and Corey Gamble. Fan-shot videos also show Bezos and Sánchez enjoying the show.
Jeff Bezos, Kendall, Kylie and Kris Jenner were amongst the many attendees last night at Bad Bunny’s last performance in Coachella 2023 pic.twitter.com/bJKKyvcjlA
Bezos’ look drew some attention. As People notes, “Bezos, 59, also kept it casual in a long-sleeve light blue button-up shirt with butterflies on the front, a pair of jeans, and white sneakers with dark trim around the ankle.” Some onlookers took notice of the shirt, which can apparently be bought on Amazon for about $12 (or at least one that looks just like it can). One Reddit user summarized the ensemble, “Jeff looking like the dude that comes into a store and asks to buy the outfit off the mannequin.”
Swae Lee had one hell of a weekend at Coachella but unfortunately, not everything was rosy. Footage emerged this morning of a nasty brawl happening as Swae and his crew attempted to enter the festival grounds. Right before the rapper hit the stage, security got physical with members of his team. Not to keep anyone behind, the rapper, along with his crew, intervened. Still, security knocked Swae back into the fences. Still, his team did an exceptional job keeping him safe.
Unfortunately, the brawl went down right in front of Swae Lee’s child. The footage shows a woman carrying a baby scroller, saying, “Get your hands off the f*ckin’ baby.” Though Swae and his crew got deeper into the festival grounds, the security evidently continued to press them further. By the end of it, Swae Lee and his brother Slim Jxmmi made their way to the stage. As expected, they delivered a high-energy performance as Rae Sremmurd.
Swae Lee’s Management Speaks
In a statement to TMZ, Lee’s team explained that the security failed to recognize the talent on the grounds. They explained the festival security blocked Swae as Rae Sremmurd approached their set time. “As Swae Lee attempted to enter the festival with his newborn son and working crew, overzealous security guards confronted them,” the statement reads. “As 1/2 of Rae Sremmurd, he was due to perform on Coachella’s Outdoor Theatre stage at 5:55 PM. Security claimed not to recognize the talent and then aggressively initiated contact as they attempted to make their way to the stage.”
They added, “The security guards, which we presume are independent contractors, are seen clearly being the aggressors and then throwing gang signs at end of the video in a celebration.” Swae’s team praised his security detail for doing an incredible job protecting him and his child. Fortunately, it didn’t hinder Rae Sremmurd’s set where they performed several cuts from their latest project, Sremm 4 Life, which arrived just before Coachella and features singles like “Lean Gone Cold.” Check out the footage of the scrap above and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Teyana Taylor has agreed to be Latto’s new creative director, after handling her performance at Coachella, last weekend. She wrote about the move in a post on Instagram shared on Sunday night. The statement accompanied a video of her running through the choreography of Latto’s set.
“The Aunties are not just regular creative directors, we’re cool creative directors @theauntiesinc,” Taylor captioned the post. “I am truly a proud AUNTEYYYYYYYYYYYYY @latto777 you did ya big one both weekends. I’m so proud of your growth, willingness to be a student to better your craft and your dedication! I’m so excited for the journey ahead with you as your CD. 4 shows down together and a lot more to goooooooo! Let’s goooooo!”
Latto’s Coachella Performance
INDIO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 23: Singer Latto performs onstage during Weekend 2, Day 3 of the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 23, 2023 in Indio, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella)
It’s not the first time that Teyana Taylor has worked behind the scenes with Latto. She previously collaborated on Latto’s debut campaign for PrettyLittleThing. Taylor shared pictures from that shoot on Instagram in 2021 with the caption: “I’m not like a regular @prettylittlething creative director I’m a cool @prettylittlething creative director…Rite Regina??? also my [leaf emoji] blower & I comes as a personal Beyoncé fan to make sure the hair is blowing in the rite direction to get the perfect shot for my babe @latto777 LOL she look da fuck good and killed this @prettylittlething shoot!!! Can’t wait for y’all to see! So stay tuned cause it’s officially coming SOONER THAN LATER.”
The move comes after Taylor announced her retirement from music following her 2020 project, The Album. “I gotta do it for my mental health,” she said at the time. “I have to do it for my emotional health. I have to do it for my kids, so I can stay alive for my kids. Until I’m free, until I can get [Def Jam] to release me, yes I want to retire.” In recent weeks, she’s been promoting her new film, A Thousand And One. In doing so, she appeared on Angie Martinez’s IRL podcast, made a guest appearance during Usher’s Vegas residency, and more.
But Latto still had a special guest behind the scenes. Teyana Taylor and her The Aunties Productions handled the creative direction of Latto’s set.
“The Aunties are not just regular creative directors, we’re cool creative directors @theauntiesinc,” Taylor captioned an Instagram compilation video of how Latto’s Coachella set came together, beginning the morning of April 16.
“I am truly a proud AUNTEYYYYYYYYYYYYY @latto777 you did ya big one both weekends,” Taylor continued. “I’m so proud of your growth, willingness to be a student to better your craft and your dedication! I’m so excited for the journey ahead with you as your CD. 4 shows down together and a lot more to goooooooo! Let’s goooooo!”
Latto posted from the Special 2our, kicking off on Friday, April 21 — Lizzo’s second North American leg of her 2022 Special Tour, which Latto has opened for in its entirety. The second photo in the Instagram carousel is of Latto backstage with Taylor.
Latto and Taylor have been developing their creative rapport for a while, as Vibepointed out in June 2021 that Taylor served as the creative director for Latto’s debut PrettyLittleThing campaign.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group
Bad Bunny just headlined both weekends of Coachella to tens of thousands of screaming fans. The singer is still fairly new to the scene, but he has taken the world by storm. Bad Bunny, or “Benito” as he is often referred to, is known for his unique blend of reggaeton, trap, and Latin pop. He first gained popularity with his debut single “Soy Peor” in 2017 and has since released multiple chart-topping albums and collaborated with various successful artists, including Cardi B, J Balvin, and Drake. As one can imagine, headlining Coachella was a huge gig for the Grammy-winning Latin pop star. Unfortunately, the first weekend was marked by some unintentional beef.
During Benito’s performance on the first night of the festival, fan tweets and pictures were displayed on screen behind the singer. Most of them were heartwarming, but one in particular caught the attention of the fans of another pop singer: Harry Styles. One of the tweets that was displayed behind Benito read, “Goodnight Benito could do ‘As It Was’ but Harry could never do ‘El Apagon’.” Obviously, this caused quite a stir because it appeared that the Latin pop star was shading Harry Styles. As is always the case with things like this, the incident immediately started a Twitter firestorm.
Bad Bunny: “Sorry Harry, We Love You”
Bad Bunny’s team apologizes tonight to Harry Styles for the tweet displayed during Coachella last Friday pic.twitter.com/9AebNKeXa6
Of course, Benito and his team were quick to respond to the backlash. “Our intention is to create light hearted designs that embody Bad Bunny’s personality and amplify the experience he presents as a performer,” his team said of the incident. “The request from the artist during the visuals for ‘El Apagón’ performance was to use the image only and not text from the tweet, which we take responsibility for and correct it for Friday’s performance.” However, Benito took it one step further last weekend.
When Bad Bunny returned to Coachella this past weekend to headline again, he had a special message for Harry Styles. The artist performed on a platform on the huge stage, flanked by dancers and surrounded by massive screens displaying a backdrop of a sky full of stars. At one point, during the the song “El Apagón,” fan messages were once again displayed. At first glance, it looked as though Benito’s team included the exact same tweet from last week. However, upon closer inspection, they had replaced the text. “Sorry Harry. It was a mistake from my team,” the message read. “We love you. <3.” What do you think of Benito’s apology? Sound off in the comments!
(@Latto) 