Ariana Grande, CHON, Turnstile, More To Play Coachella

Today the 20th Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival announced this year’s lineup, packed with artists and musicians of multiple genres. Genres like Latin (Bad Bunny, Mon Laferte, Rosalía), alternative (The 1975, CHVRCHES, Weezer), rap (Playboi Carti, Jaden Smith, YG), EDM (Aphex Twin, Diplo, Ross From Friends), pop (BLACKPINK, Billie EIlish, Jain), R&B (Khalid Ella Mai, Solange), and others, will appear at the two weekend festival.

Headlining this year’s festival are rapper Childish Gambino, Australian psychedelic rock group Tame Impala, and pop star Ariana Grande. Gambino will headline Friday, April 12 and 19, TI will headline Saturday, April 13 and 20, and Grande will headline Sunday, April 14 and 21. Other bands that will appear during the weekends are Turnstile, King Princess, JPEGMAFIA, The Frights, Kero Kero Bonito, Mac DeMarco, Sabrina Claudio, Turnover, CHON, Superorganism, Kaytranada, boy pablo, Soccer Mommy, Alice Merton, and 070 Shake.

Kanye West was apparently supposed to headline one of the days, but pulled out at the last minute. The 40×60 stages were apparently “artistically limiting,” a source told TMZ. “These 40×60 stages are so archaic. It’s the same type of stage on which Shakespeare’s works were performed hundreds of years ago.”

Another interesting fact about today is the mysterious group Gucci Gang. Named after the song by rapper Lil Pump, no one has heard about the group until today. When Coachella’s website showed a picture of Gucci Gang, the image was of Atlanta based rapper Gucci Mane. Some thought it was a typo, but it wasn’t. Turns out it’s a supergroup made up of Mane, Pump, and Chicago rapper Smokepurpp.

Presale tickets go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. Festival passes can be purchased right here. 

Mac Miller Passes Away At 26

Rapper Mac Miller, real name Malcolm McCormick has died. He was 26.

TMZ reported that he died from an “apparent overdose.” The article also said, “Miller has battled substance abuse issues for years…” Ariana Grande, a musician who starred on the hit Nickelodeon series Victorious from 2010 to 2013, dated Miller from August 2016 to May 2018, and said that his substance abuse was a main reason why the couple broke up. After he got a DUI, Grande tweeted to him “Pls take care of yourself,” signafying how worried she was about his substance abuse.

Tyler Conway, writer for Bleacher Report, posted a video on his Twitter from a documentary Miller made with Fader. In it, Miller says, “I’d rather be the corny white rapper than the drugged-out mess who can’t even get out of his house. Overdosing is just not cool. You don’t go down in history because you overdose. You just die.”

The Pittsburgh, Pa., born rapper started rapping at 15 and gained notoriety after releasing the song “Donald Trump” which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #75. In 2010, he signed to then local label Rostrum Records (FREEWIFI, Mod Sun, Wiz Khalifa) and released two albums with the label before he created his own label in 2013 called REMember Music which then joined Warner Bros. Records (Bebe Rexha, Gorillaz, Sleeping With Sirens) in 2014. His last album Swimming came out August 3.

Miller has collaborated with several other rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Action Bronson, Future, Vince Staples, and Ty Dolla $ign.

Prior to his death, Miller tweeted that he was going to go on tour later this year with Thundercat and J.I.D. The tweet read, “I’m bringing a band. The show is going to be special every night. I wish it started tomorrow. It starts October 27th.”