barometer to measure the music’s current landscape.
Future—hip-hop at Coachella continues to be a unique
talent—the now iconic Yeezy, Nas, Wiz Khalifa and Odd
a packed Friday-night polo field. And, with this year’s
rap’s biggest artist, Jay-Z, rocked the headlining spot to
Kanye West just two days before the event, and last year,
2006, Coachella surprised fans by adding chart-topper
world, the hip-hop talent has turned flossier as well. In
the most esteemed three-day music festivals in the
from a two-day celebration of all things DIY to one of
Coachella-approved. But just as Coachella has grown
Mos Def and even headliners Beastie Boys were safely
lower half of the bill, while credible crossover stars
and national indie acts El-P and Mr. Lif filled out the
obvious. Local underground faves like Souls of Mischief
the festival’s early years, the bookings were rather
becomes more contentious, and more interesting. In
discussion gets louder as hip-hop’s presence at Coachella
the annual event. And, with each passing year, the
discuss and dissect the hip-hop talent booked for
in with laser-guided precision. Their goal—to identify,
announced, a certain segment of the audience moves
Every year, from the moment the Coachella line-up is
by Nicole Balin
The Past, Present and (Odd) Future of Coachella Hip-Hop
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