YG Marley was the only reggae act billed for Coachella 2024 but the genre permeated the sets of other rap and R&B stars.
Bursting onto the Coachella 2024 Stage at 5 p.m., his face lit up with excitement under the blazing afternoon California sun accompanied by the spirited flagman Judah, who usually waves the Ethiopian flag for his uncle Damian Marley.
He started his 50 minute set with “Marching Freedom,” while sporadical shouting “Rastafari” and encouraging the crowd to join in. Throughout the performance, traditional reggae themes of freedom, peace, and love reverberate, echoing the legacy of his late grandfather, Bob Marley with Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Hallie Sellasie on the backdrop.
https://www.youtube.com/live/dYTuZMRFhFY?si=4Sr6MpUYyGs7PcHs
The set billed as YG Marley and Friends included an appearance of his mother, Ms. Lauryn Hill, who at times frantically directs the band to keep the pace, with Wyclef Jean joining for a medley of Fugees classics which sent the audience into a frenzy. Fans effortlessly belt out every lyric of “Killing Me Softly,” “Ready or Not,” and “No Woman, No Cry.”
Everybody jump. #ygmarley #fugees
For more moments like these, tune in to the 2024 livestream on @YouTube at https://t.co/j5uIbSOgaa pic.twitter.com/F6Mwc4sbAP
— Coachella (@coachella) April 15, 2024
Just when it seems the energy couldn’t soar any higher, Busta Rhymes and his sidekick Spliff Starr makes a lively entrance with his 1997 hit “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.” After a brief detour through Flipmode Squad’s repertoire, the ensemble returns to Bob Marley’s iconic tunes, while Wyclef urges the crowd to raise their hands for global peace.
“Put your hands up for peace!” chants the DJ, met with enthusiastic cheers of agreement from the crowd amidst the recent missile launches between Iran and Israel a well as ongoing wars between Ukraine and Russia. The Fugees then sang their hit “Ready Or Not” as YG went into the crowd.
YG performed his only known hit “Praise Jah In The Moonlight,” a song that has spawned over 2 million videos on TikTok, with one video surpassing 600 million views after a trend by Leah Halton went viral.
@looooooooch Summer😊#Inverted
“Praise Jah IN The Moonlight” peaked at #1 on the Billboard New Zealand songs chart and #34 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has been certified Silver in the UK but the British Phonographic Industry for selling 200,000 units in streams and sales combined.
Transitioning seamlessly into a medley of “One Love,” and “Exodus” Wyclef then hands the spotlight to YG Marley to close the set with Bob Marley’s “Is This Love.” The backdrop transforms from the Ethiopian flag to vintage Bob Marley imagery, framing YG Marley’s performance within a six-point star.
Victoria Monet infused her set with a medley of original dancehall tunes including Mad Cobra’s Flex and Sister Nancy’s Bam Bam.
https://twitter.com/MszRockstar/status/1779698672084676978
On Saturday Ice Spice previewed a new song which samples the “Buzz Riddim” and interpolates Sean Paul’s 2001 hit “Gimme Di Light,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
ENERGY! Ice Spice took center stage performing new song sampling Sean Paul’s “Gimme the Light” at Coachella 💕 pic.twitter.com/XX8RKw1IO0
— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) April 14, 2024
Coachella 2024 continues next weekend (April 19-21) in California’s Empire Polo Club where YG Marley, the song of Rohan Marley will perform.
