Coachella 2024 wrapped up its first weekend yesterday and Doja Cat was easily one of the best performers. The community of hip-hop fans and attendees seem to think the same, as her wildly creative and avant-garde sets were a major part of her success on stage. The pop rap mega star’s goofy and unapologetic personality has earned a lot of hate online as of late. But you can tell her imagination ran free when it came to putting this show together and fans have not been complaining about it in this case.
Numerous publications such as Variety, Rolling Stone, and Los Angeles Times have been raving about it as well, further hammering it home as one of the best parts of Coachella. One of Doja Cat’s sets that has been making the rounds online since last night has been her performance of “Demons” from Scarlet. People have been drawn to the crazy outfits her background dancers were donning, including Doja’s elongated blonde wig. Also making statements where her fellow performers, as they totally covered in blonde suits that made them look like ungroomed dogs.
As for song itself, “Demons” took on a more orchestral and somehow darker tone than the original. Fans in The Neighborhood Talk‘s IG comment section were loving the choreography and the passionate performance from Doja. “Doja right now is a CLEAR example of why I love this s***! If you can’t perform, if you aren’t in rehearsal, if you don’t have the creative direction you DO NOT love this s***!!!!!!” Another person adds, “Now that’s what you call an artist 10/10 song 10/10 performance.”
What are your thoughts on the show that Doja Cat put on at Coachella? Is she the best female rapper in the game right now, why or why not? Where does rank amongst rappers as live performers? Have you been bumping any of the new tracks from Scarlet 2: CLAUDE? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Doja Cat and Coachella. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on around the music world.
Kanye West is an artist who’s always been able to see the value of a great performance. His career is full of legendary on-stage moments from his rendition of “Hey Mama” honoring his late mother at the 50th Grammys, to him and Jay-Z unpacking a Watch The Throne classic 12 times in a row in Paris, to his brief rekindling with Drake for a special Larry Hoover Benefit show. In the past 10 years of his career, however, he’s become a fan of the listening party.
But despite assumptions the iconic moments haven’t slowed down a bit since. The unveiling of his Yeezy Season 3 collection alongside the debuting of material from The Life Of Pablo is one of the most recognizable moments of his career. A few years later he captivated fans all over again with a trio of DONDA listening experiences preceding the album’s release. Fans watched early material transform over time and shared in the surprise as artists like DaBaby and Marilyn Manson appeared. All of that is to say that a special VULTURES listening party at Rolling Loud Los Angeles was rife with potential to be his next legendary moment. Despite all of that potential, West delivered a night that won’t exactly enter the textbooks of rap history.
Kanye West’s Underwhelming Evening
Credit: Frankie Perez @sketchyfrankie
To start, many of the fans in attendance were fully expecting a performance instead of just a listening party. Rolling Loud itself didn’t exactly build up expectations for a live performance, but they were also careful about their wording. “Vultures headlining,” and “Vultures live” were used to describe the set. For fans paying attention to West’s recent run of shows it was easy to connect the dots, but it’s clear that many others came in expecting a more conventional concert.
Those disappointed fans got the chance to express themselves in the comments of a Rolling Loud post about the show. Underneath pictures of the duo on-stage attendees shared their thoughts. “I’m grateful to see Kanye Live but this was probably his worst performance ever” one of the top comments on the post reads. “This should’ve just been a Fortnite concert” another agrees.
The bulk of Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s “VULTURES” show was similar to many of the other recent listening parties. It got underway around 40 minutes after the scheduled start time, which felt early by West’s standards. The pair made the long walk onto a stage in the center of the crowd sporting ski masks and black jackets. The stage itself sat underneath a dome-like pair of crisscrossing beams. They served as overhead lighting throughout the performance while massive smoke machines covered all the artists on stage in a thick mist.
As you’d expect, the listening party was a star-studded affair. Among the least surprising guests was North West, who brought a group of friends along sporting matching Vultures shirts to dance to her now beloved guest verse on “TALKING.” Despite being an expected addition the adorable moment was undeniably one of the highlights of the night. YG was also there which was unsurprising as he’s performing at the festival alongside Tyga at the festival on Friday.
A High-Profile Guest List
Credit: Frankie Perez @sketchyfrankie
Throughout the night numerous guests joined. Freddie Gibbs marked the first surprise appearance of the night and fans erupted when he came on stage to mime his standout verse on “BACK TO ME.” Additionally Quavo, Rich The Kid, and Bump J were all in attendance for their appearances on various VULTURES cuts. Though the crowd was excited as guests emerged on stage, the allure of seeing a surprise collaborative performance didn’t quite transition into a listening party.
As the set went on, more and more attendees appeared to realize that they weren’t there for a performance. Compared to viral videos showing seas of hyped crowds at Rolling Loud the demeanor of the audience felt stuck in a permanent state of anticipation. Throughout the night the DJ pulled a classic live performance move and cut out memorable refrains from various songs to let the audience’s singing take over. But it was impossible not to notice throughout the night that the enthusiasm was fading.
A Series Of Unfortunate Teases
Credit: Frankie Perez @sketchyfrankie
West and Ty left the stage after around 40 minutes with their performance failing to reach the 9:30 time promised despite getting off to a late start. Around 30 minutes into their set, in full view of the crowd, the pair both dramatically removed their masks and headgear on stage. It would have been the absolute perfect time for them to pick up a microphone and surprise the crowd with an actual performance. But it never came to be and the pair departed the stage after playing shortened versions of every song from VULTURES 1 and the previously debuted Backstreet Boys-sampling “EVERYBODY.”
What followed was unfortunately the crystalizing moment of the entire evening. Following a 5 minute interlude where fans waited in bulk for some kind of encore, the crowd erupted in cheers as “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” came on over the speakers. The expectation of the audience was clear, West would come back out and finish his set with a few classics, but that never happened. As one hit after another came on over the speakers, “Flashing Lights,” “Runaway,” “Fade,” and more, fans slowly realized that the show was over.
One of the most fascinating features of Rolling Loud’s main stage is that planes fly shockingly low overhead as they land at LAX. It happened throughout the night and fans repeatedly pointed their cameras at the passing aircraft in bulk as they soared by. Around 10 songs deep into the DJs set following West’s exit the Watch The Throne classic “Otis” came on the speakers. Just as the song shifted into the intense final verse yet another plane passed overhead, shortly followed by West’s lyric “Can’t you see the private jets flying over you.” Had he been performing the track live, the moment could have been yet another instantly timeless entry into Kanye West’s career. Instead fans were left with the perfect lasting image of the VULTURES Rolling Loud set. Watching an accidentally brilliant moment fall short of its potential as more and more of the fans in attendance began shuffling away from the empty stage towards the exit.
It might still be chilly where you live, but as we push through the final week of winter, it’s hard to deny the liveliness of spring that’s in the air. With the warmest months of the year in the northern hemisphere right around the corner, music lovers are growing increasingly excited for another season full of live outdoor performances from the biggest names in music. Americans tend to check out Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Governor’s Ball if they want to avoid travelling too far. Meanwhile, one of the UK’s biggest events of the year, Glastonbury Festival has a seriously stacked lineup that’s drawing in more passport-friendly crowds.
The annual bash is taking place from June 26-30 at Worthy Farm, Pilton. The stacked list of performers have already been divided up into different areas; at Woodsies you’ll find DJ Jamie XX, James Blake, Sampha, Soccer Mommy, and others. Over at West Holts, Jungle, Masego, Black Pumas, and Noname will all be holding it down during their sets. The second-largest category, Other, holds Disclosure, Two Door Cinema Club, Avril Lavigne, and Headie One. Finally, Pyramid reveals out 2024 Glastonbury headliners, which include Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and Canadian country starlet Shania Twain.
SZA will also be closing out the festival one night, and based on today’s (March 14) Instagram Story post, she seems excited. “This bout to be ins*ne,” the “Drew Barrymore” hitmaker wrote. Other noteworthy acts in Pyramid at Glastonbury are Burna Boy, Janelle Monae, and Ayra Starr.
After shaking up the industry with SOS in late 2022, SZA spent much of last year on the road touring her sophomore LP. Over the past few months, she’s been hinting at a deluxe edition of the project called Lana, which is apparently “bout to drop.” Read the latest from the TDE songstress on that at the link below, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.
Over the weekend, Nicki Minaj released her highly-anticipated new album Pink Friday 2. The project marked her first new studio album in 5 years and the sequel to one of her most beloved projects from over a decade ago. Unsurprisingly, the album is a massive undertaking. She delivers 22 tracks which span 80 minutes of material and contain numerous high-profile features. Lil Wayne, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, and Future appear on the album among others. One artist who makes an appearance is J. Cole. He lends a guest verse to the song “Let Me Calm Down” on the first half of the album.
But the pair’s collaboration goes beyond just the song itself. Earlier today Nicki Minaj officially announced the Pink Friday 2 World Tour. The tour will take off in March of next year and run until June while hitting numerous North American and European cities. She also promised that even more dates would be announced in the future. Two of the dates on her tour are for festivals including her headlining spot at Rolling Loud which was already announced. But she confirmed her appearance at a second festival just a few weeks later whose lineup hasn’t been released yet. Check out her full tour announcement below.
On April 7th of next year, Nicki Minaj will play the newest edition of J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival. The fest has been a staple of the legendary rapper’s label for years and often features many of Dreamville’s own artists alongside some of the biggest and best voices in hip-hop. The full roster for the festival’s 2024 edition hasn’t been released yet but when it is, Nicki will be included.
The breakout track from Pink Friday 2 so far seems to be “Everybody” with Lil Uzi Vert. North West already professed herself as a fan of the track when she shared a video of her dancing to it. Billboard put it at number one on their ranking of every song on the album. That prompted Nicki to explain that the track was originally written in just 5 minutes for her collab with Call Of Duty. What do you think of Nicki Minaj being one of the headliners at next year’s Dreamville Festival? Let us know in the comment section below.
Doja Cat is having a major 2023. Earlier this year she released her new album Scarlet after a controversy-soaked series of singles leading up to the record. Despite the controversy, she managed to score one of her biggest hits to date in “Paint The Town Red” which is still in the top 10 of the Hot 100 months after its release. Starting in late October she took off on the Scarlet arena tour which sees her playing headlining shows across North America alongside guests like Doechii and Ice Spice.
But she won’t be done playing major shows even after the tour ends later this month. She was just announced as the headlining act at next year’s Rock In Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal. The festival already has an impressive roster with pop sensations like Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran on board as well as major rock acts like Scorpions and Evanescence. In the announcement of Doja Cat’s inclusion on the roster, the festival expressed significant excitement. “To have Doja Cat headlining our lineup for the first time in Portugal is a privilege! It’s going to be four days of great joy to recharge the energy of everyone who passes through the City of Rock,” their claim reads. Check out the full announcement below.
Earlier this month, Doja Cat made an apology to her fans after a concert. She had reportedly been performing despite illness including a show in New Jersey. After the concert she took to social media to apologize to fans after what she saw as an underwhelming performance that wasn’t up to her standards.
Despite her apology, many fans online expressed that they actually found the show a lot of fun and didn’t think she had anything to be sorry for in the first place. What do you think of Doja Cat headlining the Rock In Rio festival in Lisbon? Let us know in the comment section below.
SZA has been on her SOS tour for much of this year. She’s made headlines numerous times for artists she’s had on stage with her and those that have attended. But now she’s found the time to pop up at somebody else’s show, Doja Cat. The pair have worked together before, teaming up for the 2021 hit “Kiss Me More.” Doja’s Scarlet tour took off late last month and sees her and opening act Doechii playing some of their biggest hits and fan favorites. Check out the videos of SZA dancing at the concert below.
SZA herself isn’t done playing big shows either. Lollapalooza just announced a number of the headliners for their international festivals and her name popped up multiple times. She will be playing Lollapalooza festivals in Brasil, Argentina, and Chile next year. Alongside the R&B hitmaker other artists like Blink-182, Sam Smith, and Paramore were also tapped as headliners. South American fans who haven’t gotten the chance to see SZA perform yet will get the chance next year.
SZA’s massive 2023 has continued to generate critical attention for her. Just this week Variety named her their 2023 Hitmaker of the year. She was the first artist to appear at the number one spot on the Hot 100 twice this year. The first time she did so with “Kill Bill” the week she dropped a remix of the track with Doja Cat. The second time was her Drake collaboration “Slime You Out” which debuted at the number one spot.
She’s also developed quite a strong friendship with Sexyy Red. The pair both appear on another song from Drake’s new album called “Rich Baby Daddy.” They’ve linked up to perform the song together live multiple times. Subsequently, SZA was even a part of Sexyy Red’s pregnancy announcement with a pic of the pair together making its way to Instagram. What do you think of SZA attending one of the stops on Doja Cat’s tour? Let us know in the comment section below.
Kendrick Lamar is a mainstay at huge festivals these days, performing at Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, and now Lollapalooza. Moreover, he wrapped up Day Two (Friday August 4) of the Chicago festival at the T-Mobile stage in Grant Park. Of course, the Compton rap titan came through with a collection of some of his greatest and most successful hits. All the way from his breakout album Section.80 to the recent Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, everyone had something to latch onto during his set. What’s more is that this was his first time performing at Lollapalooza in ten years, making for a very special moment.
Furthermore, the pgLang MC recognized it as such during various points of the show. “Is anybody alive right now?” Kendrick Lamar asked the crowd after performing “The Heart Part 5,” “N95,” and “ELEMENT.” “Chitown, how are you feeling tonight? Make some noise. It’s a special night in a special city. It’s always special when we come out here, it’s always love. I want to make sure you have a good time from start to finish.” “Until next time Chicago, I will be back,” he expressed as he closed the night out with the incomparable “Alright” after going ten minutes over his set time.
Since he started about 15 minutes late, there was not a soul who complained about his extended stay. With such a high-quality and versatile slew of excellent songs, who in their right mind would? Kendrick Lamar brought the wooziness of “A.D.H.D.,” the boasting on “Backseat Freestyle,” the funk of “King Kunta,” the smoothness of “LOYALTY.,” and the tension on “Count Me Out,” among many others. In addition, his live band and dancers elevated the show and made the experience much more unique than your typical festival headliner.
Meanwhile, amid teases of new music, these performances add to the 36-year-old’s mystique. We saw him a lot on the festival circuit, but it begs some curiosity as to whether there’s a deeper reason to do so. Maybe he’s gearing up for something big, or is just enjoying his time on the road with fans. Either way, fans are always very excited for more from one of the best to ever do it, whether on wax or on stage. On that note, come back to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Kendrick Lamar.
Rage music is killing it on the festival circuit these days, whether you’re a genre pioneer like Playboi Carti or the next wave of the movement. Moreover, Yeat came out during Wireless Festival in London this weekend, and amassed a gigantic crowd on onlookers during his set. In fact, his performance was so packed that many posted online that it was basically as if he was the headliner. Of course, performing on the main stage amid a slew of other anticipated performers will certainly give you a leg-up when it comes to crowd size. Regardless, those people stuck around for a reason, and got an energetic and invigorating show from the rapper as a result.
Furthermore, Yeat is capitalizing off of the success and cult acclaim behind his latest album, this year’s AftërLyfe. While it’s 22 tracks long, it actually might be one of the best and most boundary-pushing rage projects since Carti’s Whole Lotta Red. Through his performance alone (something that translates into his live shows as well), the Oregon-raised MC showed off a lot of versatility within such a specific niche. Not only that, but sticking true to those limitations while expanding on them outwardly is probably what’s made him such a phenomenon in the first place.
Of course, this is far from the first time that the 23-year-old’s live shows resulted in newsworthy rowdiness. Still, it seems like that’s only going to continue to be the case moving forward as he works with more people. For example, Yeat recently previewed a Travis Scott collab that hopefully releases sooner rather than later. With those two fanbases colliding, an actual performance from both should be nothing short of ballistic.
Meanwhile, the “Split” artist is a true character in the rap game as well, which just adds to his cult status. Earlier this week, he revealed that he apparently met an alien in his youth that told him what to do. He’s a singular force in the industry, and about as much of an alien as a skinny green UFO pilot. For more news and the latest updates on Yeat, log back into HNHH.
Despite the air quality issues plaguing New York all week, Governor’s Ball Festival still took place over the weekend. Among the headlining sets was Kendrick Lamar fresh off his tour supporting last year’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. After Lizzo closed out Friday and Odesza closed out Saturday, Kendrick served as the finale to the entire festival. Lamar worked through a number of his biggest hits and much of the tracklist of Mr. Morale. He also had a special guest on stage, his cousin Baby Keem. The pair teamed up for their hit 2021 single “family ties.” Elsewhere in the setlist, Kendrick performed his parts of The Weeknd’s song “Sidewalks” and Pusha T’s “Nosetalgia.”
After closing his performance with a rousing rendition of “Savior” Kendrick Lamar had one final message for the crowd. After listing off all of his albums so far he made a promise that felt like a message for all his fans. “Because of you, I’ll be back” Lamar said as fireworks were set off behind the stage. While nothing has been officially confirmed it’s easy for fans to extrapolate what Kendrick may have meant with this message. After a five-year gap between Mr. Morale and his previous album, DAMN many are hoping he doesn’t take as much time off this time.
Despite no news on a new album any time soon, Kendrick has stayed busy. Just a few weeks ago he teamed up with Baby Keem once again for a new single called “The Hillbillies.” The track’s music video featured Kendrick and Keem acting their goofiest and featured a special guest appearance from Tyler, The Creator. In fact, during the video’s final moments, Tyler made a sort of soft announcement that his Flow Gnaw festival would return for the first time since 2019.
Kendrick also showed up on a recently released remix of “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM” from Beyonce’s Renaissance album last year. The surprise drop saw the two critical darlings teaming up for Beyonce’s second new remix of the year. Earlier in 2023 she dropped a “Wetter” version of another Renaissance track, “Cuff It.”
Usher says that he hopes the NFL invites him to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The legendary singer discussed the hypothetical opportunity during an interview with Access Hollywood’s Scott Evans at the Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace pop-up in Los Angeles, earlier this week.
“I’d be a fool to say no,” Usher said. “Well, I mean, you know, things line up that we would all hope. You know, one day, that moment will happen.” From there, Usher mentioned several famous performances, including Michael Jackson, Prince, and Dr. Dre. He added that adding his name to the list is on his “bucket list.” While it’d be his first time headlining the iconic show, Usher previously performed at the Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show. The Black Eyed Peas brought him on stage for their collaboration, “OMG.”
Usher At Super Bowl XLV
Usher performs with will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show at Dallas Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas.
He also addressed the idea of headlining the Super Bowl Halftime show during an interview with AP News in February. “What I am thankful for is the fact that there’s even any conversation about me — period,” he said at the time. “I feel humbled that at this age and this juncture of my life, people still have to ask the question, (even) after all of the No. 1s that I’ve had and all the diamond (selling songs), that I have enough records to perform 15 minutes. If I were ever asked to perform at the Super Bowl, of course I would definitely be into it.” The interview came after Rihanna headlined Super Bowl LVII. Her set drew in 118.7 million viewers, making it the second most-watched halftime show in history, behind the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show (2015).
Usher is currently hosting a residency in Las Vegas. Earlier this week, he brought out Yung Miami to perform their collaboration, “Good Love.” He also took the stage with 21 Savage, earlier this month, to team up for a “My Boo” duet.
Em 2023, com o lançamento do single “Paint the Town Red”, a artista atingiu o primeiro lugar na Billboard Hot 100 Chart e fez história no Spotify! 
