April 18, 2022
Taking the Coachella stage for the first time in her career, Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion made sure to deliver Something For The Hotties. During her set, which included performances of her hit records “WAP” and “Body,” the Texas Southern University graduate performed an unreleased song for the first time.
Describing the track as “very motherfu**ing personal,” and explaining how it was directed at “to whom it may the f**k concern” the hard-hitting song sampled Jodeci and Wu-Tang’s “Freak’n You Remix.”
“I see y’all saying y’all want it … maybe I should just gone headdd release this,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a snippet of her Hottiechella takeover.
Detroit artist Big Sean also made waves with his Coachella set with the help of a few special guests. Performing at the California festival for the first time as the lead solo act, the “Blessings” rapper made sure to bring others along for the show.
During his performance, Big Sean performed fan-favorite tracks including “Paradise,” “Dance (A$$),” “Blessed,” “Paradise,” “My Last,” and “I Don’t F**k With You.” He was joined on stage by his romantic partner Jhene Aiko for “I Know,” as one of his surprise on-stage guests.
.@BigSean brings out @JheneAiko at #Coachella ? pic.twitter.com/LsqsMaGx6N
— Rap-Up (@RapUp) April 16, 2022
— Rap-Up (@RapUp) April 16, 2022
Additionally, Sean Don also welcomed Los Angeles rapper YG to share his spotlight. The two performed their verses from the 2018 collaboration “Big Bank,” which also features 2 Chainz and Nicki Minaj.
“I wanted to give people an experience. It’s definitely a very intentional set. One of the things I have on my side is that I’ve been here so long that I have some nostalgic songs and some songs that I feel like will take people back and bring up some good memories,” Big Sean told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the annual event.
Top Dawg Entertainment’s Isaiah Rashad also made waves in the desert with his performance. Months before the music festival, an explicit video was leaked online, showing the Tennessee rapper engaging in sexual activity with partners of the same gender. The “Free Lunch” rapper had never addressed the footage until taking the Coachella stage.
While he never directly mentioned the video, a montage of various people including The Game and Joe Budden discussing the tape played in the background as he prepared to perform.
“I’ve seen y’all messages and sh*t. Y’all ni**as kept me alive these last couple months” he shared as the performance continued.
Isaiah Rashad opens his #Coachella set with a message @isaiahrashad @coachella pic.twitter.com/4YlR6y31xS
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) April 17, 2022
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) April 17, 2022
The first weekend of Coachella also included standout performances from Doja Cat who brought out Rico Nasty for their energetic “Tia Tamera” collaboration, a political message delivered by Killer Mike during the Run The Jewels set, City Girls, Ari Lennox, and Brockhampton who assured fans the 2022 Coachella Festival would be their last performance as a group.
21 Savage, J.I.D., Vince Staples, Masego, Giveon, The Weeknd, Cordae, and more also delivered memorable live shows. Performances of different selections from various artists are housed on the official Coachella YouTube channel. Additionally, a live stream of the second weekend will be broadcasted from the platform beginning at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (April 22–April 24).
View clips and images from Coachella 2022, weekend one, shared on social media, and more below.
Breaking hearts ? @vincestaples pic.twitter.com/epLGFiv44c
— Coachella (@coachella) April 18, 2022
— Coachella (@coachella) April 18, 2022
Blinding Lights #XOchella #Coachella pic.twitter.com/RfNXZrFEBG
— best of the weeknd (@bpicstheweeknd) April 18, 2022
— best of the weeknd (@bpicstheweeknd) April 18, 2022