What was the most memorable moment of 2012’s Coachella festival? Don’t answer the question — it’s rhetorical.
On the final day of last year’s Coachella festival, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg closed America’s most highly regarded festival by having a hologram of Tupac appear on stage.
There was no hologram during the closing set of 2011’s Coachella. There was, however, Kanye West, being joined by Pusha T, a scruffy Justin Vernon and half-naked dancers for 60 minutes of musical pornography.
Do you remember who else performed that weekend? It doesn’t matter — Kanye bodied ’em.
The year before that, Jay-Z played the role of Jackie Robinson, becoming the first black hip-hop act to headline Coachella (Beastie Boys closed the show back in 2003.) Unlike Dre and Kanye, he didn’t perform on Sunday night, instead becoming Friday’s headliner.
It matters little, Jay and his live band — with a surprise appearance from a non-lip-synching Beyonce — came and out rocked about 100 rock stars.
I think it can be said that since 2010, when the good folks at Coachella finally let rap music eat at the big boy table, hip-hop has been 3 and 0.
This is why I was completely stunned this morning when the 2013 Coachella lineup was announced and not one hip-hop act is set to be a headliner.
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Instead we have The Stone Roses, Phoenix — two foreign bands. Look at that, even our music festivals are getting outsourced, B — and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
It’s hard to say anything bad about those headliners (like, really, what the f*ck negative am I going to say about muthaf*ckin’ Red Hot Chili Peppers?) but the exclusion of a hip-hop-based act closing the show at least one of the nights stung.
In fact, it seems like this year hip-hop is underrepresented throughout the weekend (even though stand up acts like Pusha T, Action Bronson, 2 Chainz and Wu Tang all have billing.)
I also noticed something else. Although not troubling to me personally, EDM is criminally underrepresented, which makes little sense considering the growth electronic music has made.
I find this interesting because you can make the argument that over the last handful of years, hip-hop and EDM have been the spinal cord of all other musical genres, from pop to, yes, indie rock.
Coachella’s decision to not have hip-hop represented as a closer seems like a futile attempt to go back to their raw indie rock roots. A silly decision, if you put into perspective the state of rock music in 2013.
Over a three-year span, hip-hop came and killed it. In one of those headlining slots this year, we needed to see a Eminem, a G.O.O.D. Music, a Drake or a Lil Wayne hit the stage — OK, maybe not Lil Wayne.
Coachella just went from being hip, to somewhat dated.
Ahh, whatever, there’s always Made in America.
Dimas S.
I’m on Twitter @Milkman__Dead bros and broettes
