Blog January 9, 2018
Coachella 2018: Artists To Look Out For
<p><a href="https://www.coachella.com/" target="_blank">Coachella</a>: that infamous, free-wheeling music and arts festival on a dusty polo field in California that rakes in over 100 million dollars a year, sets the pulse of the mainstream music industry and attracts hundreds of thousands of young people to frolic and dance. The image of Coachella that gets the most press is that of lithe, blond youth in crop tops, questionable headdresses, John Lennon sunglasses and very intentionally curated hippie garb. While that certainly speaks to some of what Coachella is, there is also always a bunch of great music amongst the seemingly endless lineup (167 artists this year). We've sifted through the list and come up with a rundown of great artists from across the African diaspora, from the jaunty American rapper Aminé to none other than the Nigerian Afrobeats king, Wizkid. Also check out <a href="http://remezcla.com/music/coachella-2018-lineup/" target="_blank">this article</a> by our friends at Remezcla about the growing representation of Latinx artists at Coachella. </p>
<p>Here's a YouTube playlist of some select songs, with the individual videos and short descriptions of the artists below. Photo credit: coachella.com.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLZkFL0SqZb8Kqg53KBd50TTFF4aVmWLo2" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
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<p><strong>Aminé: </strong>This 23-year old, L.A.-based rapper born to Ethiopian and Eritrean parents made a big splash with this sparse, bouncy hit, "Caroline."<br></p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3j8ecF8Wt4E" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Benjamin Clementine: </strong>An elegant, entrancing and melancholic British singer with a gorgeous voice who charts his own course. Considered by the New York Times as one of 28 culture-defining geniuses of 2016. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JQ4mFaI17pk" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Beyoncé: </strong>Do we really need to introduce Beyoncé? The Queen. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PeonBmeFR8o" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Black Coffee: </strong>The legendary South African house DJ who helped shape the country's dance music in this millennium. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ulN3QkamJUU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Boogarins: </strong>Fuzzy, retro psychedelic rock from Brazil that will probably suit the heat of the Coachella Valley well.</p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Is8binZHmd8" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>C</strong><strong>ardi B: </strong>Again, does she need introduction? One of the most ubiquitous songs of 2017, "Bodak Yellow" shot this formidable Trinidadian-Dominican New York rapper, Cardi B, to the utmost heights. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PEGccV-NOm8" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
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<p><strong>French Montana: </strong>This Casablanca-born, Bronx-raised rapper and producer had a good year, crowned by this track with rapper Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd.</p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CTFtOOh47oo" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>I</strong><strong>beyi: </strong>If you're following Afropop, you'll probably know we love <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/search-results?q=ibeyi" target="_blank">Ibeyi</a>. These French-Cuban twins, Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, make deeply moving music right from the heart. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9Hc8cWtedN8" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>J</strong><strong>acob Banks: </strong>My God, that voice. Banks is a Nigerian-British singer whose magnificent, heart-wrenching voice directs his singular, electronically inflected blues. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wjNxTyEZBMc" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>J</strong><strong>idenna: </strong>We've heard a lot from Jidenna --this track was featured in our most <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/fresh-cuts-vol-nine" target="_blank">recent volume of Fresh Cuts</a>.</p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/k2R5FNOEEGw" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Kelela: </strong>This Ethiopian-American singer is in the growing ranks of young artists diving deep into enveloping baths of synth soup and big beats, seasoned with incredible voices. <br></p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ePi5BLJogyA" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
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<p><strong>MHD: </strong>We've <a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/articles/fresh-cuts-vol-4" target="_blank">heard from this French rapper before</a>, with Part 8 of his "Afro Trap" series. He's huge in France, but only just starting to cross over to the U.S. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iNot9vrSAU8" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Miguel:</strong> It's hard to resist Miguel's suave tenor. You can tell this crooner from Los Angeles grew up on a healthy diet of Prince, Marvin Gaye, Donnie Hathaway and Usher. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8dM5QYdTo08" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>M</strong><strong>oses Sumney: </strong>This Ghanaian-American singer has some artistic kinship with Benjamin Clementine. His high, crystalline voice weaves through dark, brooding electronic and drum-driven soundscapes. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fS63c-C-Rc4" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>N</strong><strong>ile Rodgers and Chic: </strong>To put it simply, Nile Rodgers wrote pretty much every '80s disco and pop hit you've heard of ("Like A Virgin," "Let's Dance," "We Are Family," "I'm Coming Out," and so on). More recently, the hitmaker wrote Daft Punk's "Get Lucky."</p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/h1qQ1SKNlgY" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Princess Nokia: </strong>Big up to Nokia, the fearless Nuyorican rapper who blew up in 2016 with this banger.</p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AH-LyInSNYw" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>S</strong><strong>kip Marley: </strong>Grandson of the Marley family patriarch, Bob, Skip Marley has been turning out some grand, contemplative pop jams. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/L3A4QJfn4pw" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>S</strong><strong>udan Archives: </strong>Very cool, very creative songcraft from this Cincinnati-born, self-taught violinist whose art took off after hearing Sudanese fiddlers for the first time. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KLPGMb35ubk" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>SZA: </strong>One of the Grammys' five contenders for Best New Artist, SZA is a stunner with her smooth, soulful sound. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cMD63TwzB1o" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>T</strong><strong>ank and The Bangas: </strong>Tarriona Tank Ball, A.K.A. Tank, leads the Bangas in their brilliant, entirely unique kind of New Orleans-rooted r&b-meets-hip-hop-meets-jazz. They shot to stardom with their Tiny Desk performance at NPR in 2017. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QKzobTCIRDw" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>The Weeknd: </strong>Not to be confused with the SZA song. Abel Tesfaye, Canadian-Ethiopian singer is The Weeknd, a singer and rapper who is a YouTube billionaire with his track, "The Hills," one of his many hits. </p>
<div class="video-container"><iframe loading="lazy" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yzTuBuRdAyA" allowfullscreen="" height="281" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></div>
<p><strong>Wizkid: </strong>Nigeria's Afrobeats star boy, at the top of the game and making real moves to cross over into the American music market. Wizkid's presence on this lineup says much about the rise of Afrobeats in the U.S.</p>
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