Hip-hop triumphs at Coachella

United States | | 30 April 2006

With baking blue skies stretching between both mountain-tipped horizons, Kanye West proved arguably highlight of the first day at Coachella, treating fans to a greatest hits set, including 'Gold Digger', 'Slow Jam', and 'Diamonds From Sierra Leone'.

A last minute replacement for Hard-Fi, who were forced to drop out last week, the Brit winning rapper seemingly didn't have time to summon his entourage of gold-sprayed models to join him on stage, but he did bring his full band and strings section.

The highlight of the set came when the US star's DJ began mixing up soul classics, such as Michael Jackson's 'Rock Your Body' and Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together' to the delight of the crowd. Kanye then declared, "Now I'm gonna play my favourite song and don't go laughing at me because you all know this is a great song" as his DJ dropped A-Ha's 'Take On Me', prompting crowd and Kanye to get lost together in a delirious sea of giggles, cheers and mad flailing limbs!

Common, who preceded Kanye on the Coachella Stage, also wowed the crowds with his jazz and soul tinged, intelligent hip-hop. Not one to steal the limelight, the East Coast rapped invited his DJ to embark on an acrobatic scratching work-out that lasted for a jaw-dropping ten minutes. Over on the Outdoor Theatre Stage, Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley sparked a mushroom cloud of marijuana smoke from the crowd before rapper Atmosphere rocked the venue with his old-skool influenced party tunes, including the brilliantly titled 'God Loves Ugly'. Stay posted for all tomorrow's action from Coachella.

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