Megan Thee Stallion was a definite highlight of Coachella 2022’s first weekend. She was also a notable presence for at least one Chinese censor, who had a hard time properly obscuring Meg’s performance of “WAP.”
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, users on Chinese social media and messaging app WeChat were illegally livestreaming the festival this past weekend, all while censors tried their best to obscure moments that violated, as the publication put it, “China’s increasingly moralistic censorship rules.” A video that surfaced on social media showed a WeChat censor having a particularly hard time with Meg performing “WAP.” In the clip, a small black rectangle flies around the screen trying to cover the butts of Megan and her dancers, which were mostly exposed by their revealing outfits.
Coachella is also being livestreamed via WeChat. Apparently, this performance not only made censors sweat, everyone was also joking that they’re singing a song about Shanghai Puxi District. #MeganTheeStallion#Shanghailockdownpic.twitter.com/2ltSqzFC9c
Uproxx’s Aaron Williams was at Coachella and in his recap of the festival’s second day, he noted of Meg’s performance, “Another huge crowd that focused more on having fun than pushing forward was the one for Megan Thee Stallion, who preceded day two’s closer, Billie Eilish. Like 21 [Savage], her set was a briskly-paced showcase for some of her bigger hits. Unlike his, hers incorporated a wardrobe change to a mini-DJ set of some of her mixtape favorites. Her set also included a confrontational new track that seemed to take some verbal jabs at a male antagonist — something that’s sure to have fans buzzing for the next few days.”
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The first weekend of Coachella 2022 has come and go, with The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia closing things out with their headlining set last night (in place of Kanye West after he pulled out of the fest last-minute). It was quite the way to put a cap on the big weekend, especially since it appears The Weeknd’s set included a nod to Bella Hadid, his ex.
During an outro of “Save Your Tears,” a voicemail could be heard, in which a woman’s voice says, “Hey, it’s me. I know it’s been a while but I was just thinking about you and I’m sorry about everything. I miss you.”
The Weeknd really made an outro on “Save Your Tears” with a Bella Hadid apology voicemail at Coachella pic.twitter.com/NFORB6KKqi
Hadid and The Weeknd had an on-and-off relationship between 2015 and 2019. It been theorized that even before last night, Hadid was part of the Dawn FM universe, as a lyric on “Here We Go… Again” has been interpreted to be about her: “Your girlfriend’s tryna pair you with somebody more famous / But instead you ended up with someone so basic, faceless / Someone to take your pictures and frame it.”
Check out a clip from The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears” outro above.
While Doja isn’t technically a total Coachella rookie – she joined Rico Nasty onstage in 2019 – this is her first time appearing on the festival’s lineup. In 2019, Doja was still primarily known as the “Mooo!” girl in most online circles but since then, she has proven that she’s no joke. Her Hot Pink song “Say So” was the breakout hit of 2020, climbing all the way to No. 1 on the Hot 100 propelled by a TikTok trend, a Nicki Minaj remix, and a spicy (and ultimately unfulfilled) promise.
Yet, throughout that incredible run, Doja was never afforded the opportunity to perform it for real, in front of an audience of fans who were there to see her rather than whatever award show she happened to be on. Likewise, when “Streets” also took off thanks to its own massive viral moment on social media (Google “silhouette challenge” if you’re unaware), Doja was unable to take the show on the road, so it was probably hard to get a bead on just how big she’d gotten in over the course of the year leading up to the release of her third album, Planet Her.
Philip Cosores
But now, we’ve definitely seen all the evidence we need to say that Doja should have headlined Coachella 2022 – and will more than likely do so in the near future. An exuberant set with flash and color, Doja’s performance had all the components of legendary sets like Beyonce’s. She gave us costume changes and a creative stage design; she served choreography and dazzling live arrangements of her growing collection of past hits. She even returned Rico Nasty’s favor, bringing out her old friend for a zany rendition of their collaboration “Tia Tamera.”
That last one is notable because that’s the sort of thing a headliner does: Lend their platform to bequeath just a bit of their notoriety to a deserving successor. Doja and Rico are more like peers, but it’s likely that bringing Rico on during Doja’s set exposed her to a much wider audience of both attendees at Coachella and fans watching the livestream at home. Just imagine how much bigger that audience could have been with Doja closing out the festival.
Doja’s set synthesized all of the experiences and strategies she’d picked up over a year of performing almost solely for television. Sure, she’s always had a gift for showmanship, but that confidence doesn’t always translate to a big stage – it did Sunday night, though, and in spades. She showed a picture-perfect handle of how to perform to both the crowd at the polo grounds and to the cameras, flashing her broad, genuine smile at just the right moments to accent a particularly deft show beat, and display her well-practiced vocal skills with ease and charisma.
It’s fitting that she was also just about the culmination of Sunday’s showcase of genre-bending hip-hop (and yes, Doja Cat is very much a hip-hop artist). If Friday and Saturday were about surveying where hip-hop is and its probable future, then Sunday saw the various permutations the genre can accommodate when the boundaries are ignored. Throughout the day, hip-hop spread its wings, delving into acts that challenge the genre’s status quo with their sonic experimentation – acts like Compton house-hop rule-breaker Channel Tres, rebellious rabble-rousers Run The Jewels, and eclectic journeyman Denzel Curry, who brought his own X-Wing from Star Wars to the Sahara stage.
Philip Cosores
It gave me a lot of joy to see the crowd spilling out of the Sahara tent at Channel Tres electrifying afternoon set (probably stemming from hometown pride), while Run The Jewels drew a sizable crowd of their own to the main stage just a few minutes later. Vince Staples, fresh off his tour with Tyler The Creator, worked on expanding his set with nods to his newly released album, Ramona Park Broke My Heart. During his set, he bantered with a fellow Long Beach native in the front row, teasing him for confusing the city’s east side with Vince’s beloved Norf Norf.
UK rapper Dave ended up being one of the few exceptions to the unofficial “hip-hop at Sahara” rule in effect this weekend, blessing the Mojave tent with a scintillating performance that saw him rap, sing, play his guitar (sadly, not the flamethrower one from the BRIT Awards), and share the stage with an enthusiastic fan from London named Spike. Spike didn’t just know every word; he performed with Dave like they’d been rehearsing all week, blowing away the artist as much as the crowd.
Doja Cat capping off this lineup inadvertently became a pretty pointed statement on how expansive hip-hop has become. In recent weeks, the debate over whether or not she counts as a rapper intensified after veteran rapper Remy Ma refused to classify her as one. With a Coachella set that leaned into displaying her rap skills, backed by a wide array of musical styles from Afropop to hard rock, Doja Cat didn’t just prove that she’s a rapper. She also made a pretty solid argument that she is one of the biggest and best rappers — and performers — on the planet. The next time we see her name on a Coachella flyer, it might just be in the big print after all.
Fans know that music aside, Lizzo is a magnetic and entertaining personality. She got to show that off to a larger audience this past weekend when she was both the host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Given that music is her day job, it found its way into the show beyond her performances, including in a sketch about Black Eyes Peas, which pokes fun at the group.
The skit was presented as studio footage from a session where the band recorded multiple hits, and after the group performed a bit of “Boom Boom Pow” for producers (Lizzo and Aidy Bryant), Bryant noted, “Those were actually the temp lyrics that we sent to describe the beat of the track.” Lizzo added, “Yeah, you were supposed to replace them with your own lyrics. You know, like, with words.”
After going back and forth on that song some more, they move on to “I Gotta Feeling,” with Lizzo and Bryant showing amazement at the song’s simple lyrics. Bryant then instructed, “Everyone yell a refrain together, something that feels true to who you are as a group.” The band responded, “Mazel tov, l’chaim!”
They also made a nod to “Let’s Get It Started,” or rather, the original version of the song, the controversially titled “Let’s Get R*tarded.” Noting the song’s title is a work in progress, with just “Let’s Get” confirmed so far, Bryant notes, “It has to be something that we can say forever.” Lizzo assured, “We can figure that out later.”
Historical accuracy isn’t necessarily the most important thing in an SNL sketch (for example, this wasn’t actual Black Eyed Peas studio footage), but it’s worth noting (or maybe it isn’t) that the sketch’s fictional recording session was set in 2008, but “Let’s Get It Started” was released in 2004.
There’s not really a roadmap for getting your rap career back on track after a crowd-control incident at one of your concerts leaves ten people dead, but Travis Scott is attempting to create one. Despite being dropped from the Coachella lineup this past December following the previous month’s Astroworld tragedy, Scott performed at an afterparty, according to reports from TMZ and E!.
At a La Quinta, California function, about ten minutes away from the Empire Polo Club, where Coachella’s Saturday night festivities headlined by Billie Eilish were wrapping up, Scott reportedly grabbed the mic at 3 a.m. and even got behind the turntables. The party was put on by the David Arquette-owned West Hollywood club Bootsy Bellows and a source at the party told E!, “Travis got in the DJ booth with the DJ Chase B. He played the bangers but ‘Goosebumps’ was the crowd please [sic].”
This is the second time Scott has performed since the Astroworld tragedy, as he made an appearance at a pre-Oscars event last month. He’s not exactly keeping a low profile anymore, as a series of four billboards promoting his upcoming album/project Utopiaappeared on the Interstate-5 road to Coachella last week. The four billboards each read a part of a phrase that when put together read: “PSST……Looking for UTOPIA? WRONG WAY,” and then the fourth billboard just featured the logo for Scott’s label Cactus Jack.
Abel Tesfaye is the perfect man for the job, but Doja Cat’s performance right before his headlining set had plenty of fans asking… why didn’t just she just take the final slot? Not only did Doja come on point, with multiple outfit changes, tons of incredible choreography, and even a collaboration with Taco Bell (might this be the one she warned us about?), but she also brought out fellow female rapper Rico Nasty to perform their early joint track “Tia Tamera.” And that song, mind you, is an ode to Doja’s own set of twins. Girl power, right? Check out footage of the pair performing together below.
Earlier this year, just days before he took the stage for the Super Bowl Halftime Show with Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and more, Snoop Dogg announced that he acquired the rights to Death Row Records. The label, which was infamously founded by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey, was the home of Tupac’s All Eyez on Me as well as Snoop’s first two solo albums: Doggystyle and Tha Doggfather. However, shortly after acquiring Death Row, Snoop decided to remove several albums in the label’s catalog from streaming services. During a recent appearance on Drink Champs, Dogg explained why.
“First thing I did was snatch all the music off those platforms traditionally known to people, because those platforms don’t pay,” he said around the 1:51:00 mark of the episode. “And those platforms get millions of millions of streams, and nobody gets paid other than the record labels.” He added, “So what I wanted to do is snatch my music off, create a platform similar to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu. It’ll be a Death Row app, and the music, in the meantime, will live in the metaverse.”
Back in February, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige performed at the NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. The performance was put together by Jay-Z, who is in his second year as the NFL’s Live Music Entertainment Strategist. In addition to the aforementioned artists, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak also made surprise appearances during the halftime show. During a recent episode of Drink Champs with Snoop Dogg, N.O.R.E., who co-hosts the show with DJ EFN, revealed that Jay-Z told him that Eminem said he would not perform without 50 Cent’s participation in the halftime show.
“I said to Jay-Z, I have to ask this straight up. ‘Who is gonna perform at the NFL?’ and he [Jay] said to me—and I’m sorry for everybody who don’t understand—and he [Jay] said, ‘the White guy called for 50 Cent,’” N.O.R.E. said on the show. “I said, ‘Who is the White guy? Jimmy Iovine?’ And he said, ‘No, Eminem called directly for Fifty and he said I can’t do it if I can’t bring 50 with me.’”
50 Cent took issue with Jay-Z referring to Eminem as “the white guy,” and hopped on Instagram to respond. “Why would he have to say that should be the question?” 50 Cent captioned one post insinuating that he would not have performed without Eminem’s ultimatum. “NORE Your big homie is running around trying to look like a gay painter. LOL.” In a second post, which featured Jay-Z next to a picture of Jean-Michel Basquiat, 50 Cent wrote, “Why did he say the white boy, why he didn’t say the biggest rap artist in the world? Happy Easter! man enjoy the holidays.”
You can view the posts from 50 Cent and a clip from the Drink Champs episode above.
Coachella’s day-two lineup of hip-hop acts branched out from the two main stages (Coachella stage and the Sahara tent) to encompass some of the smaller tents and even take over some of the corporate activations. This was mostly a good thing but did make seeing some counter-programmed artists a little more difficult than day one. For instance, Flying Lotus playing a set at the Heineken House coincided with catching one of Brockhampton’s final performances at the Sahara stage.
Freddie Gibbs’ Gobi set also crossed Rich Brian’s at Sahara, meaning catching both would have taken a huge chunk out of both as well. For what it’s worth, Gibbs made the most of his placement and probably could have filled the Mojave tent, as his crowd spilled out of the back and sides. Despite not having Madlib – who had to miss the set for other obligations – Freddie smoothly held court himself, bantering with the crowd and his “hype man,” a bunny mascot. His big gag was pretending that the bunny had somehow bum-rushed the stage, a joke that delighted the crowd as much as his high-velocity, one-breath raps.
Another impressive set was JID’s. The Dreamville firecracker’s set at Sahara was also full to bursting, promising a warm reception for his upcoming follow-up to DiCaprio 2. He didn’t offer many extras on the bigger stage, but his exuberant energy filled the space, while he was cheered on by his Spillage Village compatriots Earthgang from the DJ booth. At one point, fellow Coachella performer Denzel Curry popped out to a massive roar from the crowd. It would have been cool if he could have used the stage more, though.
Something I forgot to mention in my day one recap is how moving most of the hip-hop acts to the Sahara stage was a smart move because it allows for more elaborate stage designs. Brockhampton especially took advantage of this, bringing along the big blue gorilla and canyon set from their tour. While things almost took a turn for the worst when the high desert winds nearly “skinned” the big guy before they could start their set, the crew was able to get things nailed down in time for the rowdy “boy band” to take the stage.
Their second-to-last set as a group showed all the hallmarks of their usual chaotic performances, but the crowd – mostly 20-somethings – gave them more energy than I’ve seen since I first saw Brockhampton at Flog Gnaw in 2017. They certainly stoked this “one night only” energy with repeated declarations that they wouldn’t be reuniting anytime soon. You could tell no one believed them – or maybe no one wanted to believe them – but it is a shame that they seem to be packing it in as they’ve hit their stride as performers.
21 Savage also used the Sahara tent to the fullest, using LED screens and raised platforms to turn the stage into a subterranean lair, perfect for evoking the menacing, horror-thriller vibe of his favorite movies. Savage, like Lil Baby from day one, showed that he has also entered the league of rap’s most-improved performers, projecting much more force than his laconic raps would suggest. His crowd was one of the biggest of the night, and when Post Malone popped out to perform “Rock Star,” I admit I got a little nervous about a potential crowd control situation.
Fortunately, the crowds at Coachella are a little more mellow than some of the younger bunches at other fests. Another huge crowd that focused more on having fun than pushing forward was the one for Megan Thee Stallion, who preceded day two’s closer, Billie Eilish. Like 21, her set was a briskly-paced showcase for some of her bigger hits. Unlike his, hers incorporated a wardrobe change to a mini-DJ set of some of her mixtape favorites. Her set also included a confrontational new track that seemed to take some verbal jabs at a male antagonist – something that’s sure to have fans buzzing for the next few days.
Other rap acts that made an impact thanks to the new streamlined hip-hop format at Coachella include Isaiah Rashad, who used his time to address the leaked video that surfaced on social media recently, Rich Brian, who double-dipped as part of 88Rising’s main stage set, and Masego, who set the tone early as one of the midday acts on the main stage that drew in masses of curious onlookers. Although there still wasn’t very much discovery on day two – at least, not for me – what I saw was an encouraging survey of rap music that showed how far so many of the top acts have come in the last few years.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Back in 2015, Lil Durk told the world to Remember My Name with his debut album and nowadays it’s a lot easier to do so thanks to his recent mainstream success. In 2020 he earned two top-2 albums with Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 and The Voice. He also got himself a top-2 single thanks to “Laugh Now, Cry Later” with Drake. Last year, Durk earned his first No. 1 album through Voice Of The Heroes with Lil Baby, and this year, he scored his first solo chart-topping album with 7220. Now, 7220 is Durk’s first full-length release to spend multiple weeks at No. 1.
7220 returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated April 23, 2022. It did so on a low-selling week as 7220 reclaimed the top crown by selling just 47,000 units. That number is comprised of 46,000 streaming equivalent album units thanks to 68.56 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs. 7220 also had less than 1,000 pure albums units sold in its return to No. 1. Lil Durk’s seventh album had the lowest sales week for a No. 1 album since A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s 2019 release Hoodie SZN topped the charts with just 46,500 album units sold.
Elsewhere, Jack White’s Fear Of The Dawn made for the highest Billboard 200 debut this week as it checked it at No. 4 with 42,000 albums units sold. 42 Dugg and EST Gee’s Last Ones Left checks in at No. 7, Fivio Foreign’s B.I.B.L.E. arrives at No. 9, while Camila Cabello rounds out the top ten with Familia.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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