I came for the rap music were the words I tweeted upon arrival at my very first Coachella. Having been at Paid Dues just a couple weeks prior (my first outdoor festival), I prepared myself mentally and physically for what would be 2 days in the desert sun, being touched by thousands of sweaty bodies.. Riding solo dolo had it’s benefits: I created my own schedule, went at my own pace and did whatever I wanted without raising the eyebrows of the people around me. My Coachella iphone app kept me on my toes with my timeline reading as follows: Earl Sweatshirt, Theophilus London, Action Bronson, Danny Brown, 2 Chainz, Grizzly Bear, Pusha T, Grimes and James Blake. I had a few others on my list but I was too exhausted to stick them out.

Danny Brown: Oh Danny, what to say without say too much? Since becoming a fan of his music, I have found that Hot Soup is my particular favorite of his oeuvre. I surely didn’t expect him to play any of his older tracks as it’s his most recent music – with a higher pitched voice – that has the boys and girls shitting themselves. Particularly enjoyed when he laid down Black Brad Pitt and I Will as those are solid inspirational sex songs that I run to on the daily. I had my fingers crossed that one of his most recent songs, Hottest MC, would make it on the set list (it didn’t) but I figured he didn’t think it was “turnt up” enough for the crowd. His best music doesn’t get the love it deserves. I am looking forward seeing where Danny’s music career goes. Here’s to his bright future.

Theophilus London: I had been anticipating this performance like I was on my death bed or something, despite my friend Ibra giving me a hard time about Theo. What can I say? Rose Island Vol I was one of my favorite mixtapes last year. No complaints about arriving first thing at 1pm to see Theophilus London dance across the stage while wearing all white, with silver sequence cascading over his Jordans. I absolutely love when rappers perform with a live band, especially when the crew are some cuties who feel inspired to take their shirts off. Theo dropped a new jam called Rio that I was digging, and despite some mic issues at times, I thoroughly enjoyed his stage presence and was grooving pretty hard at times. It’s obvious that Sade is one of his biggest influences and I ain’t mad at that!

2 Chainz: Judging from this photo it is obvious I did not get as close, er VIP, as I had hoped. Part of the greatness of this performance was that the crowd was beyond psyched and with each song, the rapping in unison only escalated – the feeling inside my bones was unreal at this point. 2 Chainz played all the hits, as any super star would coming off the best year in their career. May I say (though I tweet about it every other day) that 2 Chainz has the most beautiful hair. I just want to wrap myself up in his beautiful locks while we share stories of our mutual appreciation for leather and gold. This was a festival highlight no doubt, not just for me, but for the packed crowd at the Mojave stage. Stellar performance, pure fun and positive vibes. 2 Chainz is not simply a rapper, he is a performer. Cannot wait to see what else this beautiful man has up his sleeve. Maybe a modern day version of Dracula awaits his career?

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