Coachella was never a place that I wanted to go to. I have seen it for years and never truly had a desire to go, but this year has changed that for me. Specifically, Megan Thee Stallion’s performance piqued my interest the most. Not only was it all over my timeline, the clips that I saw from her set were chef’s kiss. From the song choices and dances to the guest stars she brought out. 

She brought out Victoria Monet who has been producing and performing her own music. However, listening to “Spin” live and watching them perform, they definitely altered my brain chemistry and I do not think I will be the same after. I love seeing representation of people like me.

She brought out Ciara who has been performing every now and then and has even released her new song “Ecstasy.” Megan started off with performing “Roc Steady,” which samples Ciara’s song “Goodies” and then later Ciara is revealed and begins performing “Goodies.” 

Similarly, she brought out Queen Latifiah, which was such a surprise. How many times can you say that you have seen Queen Latifah rap? And on stage at that? I honestly can not remember the last time I saw either. However, because of Megan, people saw her perform her iconic “U.N.I.T.Y.” song and parts of Megan’s “Plan B” song. Truly a one of a kind moment and I wish I saw all of it in person, especially since it was a mix of the past and the present.

I wish I had seen the video she had that paid homage to Janet Jackson where she basically does the same wardrobe changing backstage routine as Jackson did on the “All For You Tour” live from Hawaii in 2002. I thought that was a cute little segment that she had and I loved how she unlocked that memory for some people and introduced the video to people who have never seen it before (me included).

Artists that can bridge the gap between old and new music and concepts are exceptional. There were probably a lot of people who heard “Roc Steady” or “Plan B” and never linked it to the original artists, but once they saw the performance it may have introduced them to the original song. Some people may even have had an “ah-ha” moment when they realized the connection between them. Either way, making any connection is eye opening and it shows how music is progressing and the connection between old and new. 

It is like she was acknowledging the great artist that came before her and wants to take it a step further by adding her own twist to it. Not a lot of artists are willing to acknowledge the past and who influenced them, but she does so proudly and in a tasteful way where you can see their influence and the original concept.

It was a great set and more people should pay homage to those who came before them, but add their own twists to make it their own. It would be cool to see the new music that can be produced with those great ‘90s beats.

Image from Benjamin Farren via Pexels