Originally published on May 8, 2023
Updated on Oct. 3, 2023

Festival season might be over but there’s no harm in thinking ahead to Coachella 2024! Coachella is the largest musical festival in the United States so headlining the festival is a big career move for artists. 2023 is more than halfway over and hip-hop and R&B has some solid projects coming up in the last few months.

Nicki Minaj is set to debut her fifth studio album in November. She previously teased that it would be ready in October but explained her reasoning behind the delay in June.

Nicki Minaj Delays Album

“Dear Barbz,” Nicki began in the caption of the post addressing her fanbase. “I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you this for a few days. Due to some really exciting news that I’ll share with you guys @ a later time, I’ve shifted the album date just a tad bit. Trust me, it’ll be WELL WORTH THE WAIT…but since I AM shifting the date just a tad, I’d like to give you guys a tiny SIP of some more album tea so that I don’t have to get cussed out [sad emoji] so…here it goes: [pink bow emoji] MY NEW ALBUM WILL BE RELEASED ON 11.17.23.”

“I love you guys so much,” she continued. “I am so grateful for the years of support & love you guys have given me. At times maybe I didn’t even deserve all that you have poured into me. Nonetheless, you. will. love. this. album. I will give tour deets closer to that time, but obviously the tour will start around the first quarter of 2024. I’ll also share the REAL album cover at a later date.”

Nicki’s last full-length album was Queen in August 2018. Pink Friday 2 is named after her debut studio album Pink Friday which was released in 2010.

Already this year, Nicki has given us quality collabs such as “Barbie World” and “Princess Diana (Remix)” with Ice Spice, “Endless Fashion,” with Lil Uzi Vert, and many more.

Next year, Coachella will be held on April 12-14 for the first weekend and April 19-21 for the second weekend. While all of these artists have performed at Coachella, many have never headlined. Take a look at some hip-hop and R&B prospects for Coachella 2024:

• Nicki Minaj

  Share

  Nicki first solo song of the year was "Red Ruby Da Sleeze" and she has a fire guest feature on Ice Spice's "Princess Diana." The linked up again for the 'Barbie' film soundtrack with "Barbie World" Nicki also has been teasing that her fifth studio album is set to arrive on Nov. 17 so the Queen can play the new tracks on the Coachella stage next year. Nicki previously performed at Coachella in 2019 but was not a headliner.

• Rihanna

  Share

  Rihanna has had a phenomenal 2023 as she kicked it off headlining the Super Bowl and later performed at the Oscars. While RiRi has been teasing new music "coming soon" for a while we hope that "soon" translate to sometime in the next few months. We are only hoping that the superstar continues the amazing momentum she's been on and would consider gracing the Coachella stage next year. The Grammy-winning singer previously performed at Coachella in 2016.

• Drake

  Share

  Drake went on tour this summer with his 'Her Loss' collaborator 21 Savage. While Drake has already been singing his heart out on their tour, the Toronto artist might want to think about Coachella 2024. The last time Drake performed at Coachella was for his debut in 2015 when he was a headliner. The rapper has had countless amounts of hits since then so coming back to showcase those would be a sight to see. 
• SZA

  Share

  SZA has had an outstanding 2023 as she made history having her second studio album 'SOS' spend 10 nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart. The last R&B/hip-hop album with at least 10 weeks atop the list was Drake’s 'Views,' which spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. The New Jersey native also made history for "Kill Bill" having spent the most weeks (16) at No. 1 by a lead female artist in hip-hop or R&B. It eclipsed Mary J. Blige’s hit track "Be Without You," which stayed atop the chart for 15 weeks in 2006. If SZA were to perform at Coachella it would be her second time on the stage since her debut performance in 2018. She is also gearing up for her 'SOS' deluxe which will be called 'Lana.' A release date has not been set but the artist is expecting to debut the album sometime this fall. If she were to headline she would have a lot of new material to perform.

• Cardi B

  Share

  Cardi B has been saying fans should expect to see the follow-up to her Grammy-winning debut 'Invasion of Privacy' sometime this year. Since then, she has been collaborating with GloRilla, Latto, Offset, and more. Fans are patiently waiting for her sophomore album and if its anything like her debut, it would prove to be an exciting set for Coachella. The rapper previously performed at Coachella in 2018.

• Usher

  Share

  Usher is an R&B legend and fans of several generations would flock to see him perform at Coachella. He hit up the Dreamville festival earlier this year and has continued to have sold-out shows during his extended Las Vegas residency.  He also will be the Super Bowl headliner in 2024 so while he is already on everyone's radar, having him as a Coachella headliner would be an absolute treat. Usher has performed at Coachella several times but has never headlined. His last appearance at the festival was in 2016.
• Doja Cat

  Share

  Doja Cat's fourth studio album 'Scarlet' was released in September. She is starting her tour at the end of October and while she will already be gracing many fans' stages, headlining Coachella will open her up to even more fans who will not have the opportunity to see her. The 'Planet Her' creator performed at Coachella in 2022.

• Megan Thee Stallion

  Share

  Megan Thee Stallion laid low the beginning of 2023 but has since been making more appearances  such as her debut set at the NCAA March Madness Music Festival in her home city of Houston after some time away amid Tory Lanez's sentencing. She has since released her first song of the year, "Bongos" where she is the featured artist on Cardi B's track. This also wouldn't be Megan's first time performing at Coachella. The 'Traumazine' rapper made her debut at Coachella in 2021 and set the crowd on fire when she previewed "Plan B." Fans will know that they will get a high-energy performance from the Houston Hottie so Coachella, what are you waiting for? Make her an offer!

• Future

  Share

  Future is no stranger to the Coachella stage, but the high-performing artist has never headlined. This year, he was brought out during Metro Boomin's set along with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, Diddy, Don Toliver, John Legend, and more. Speaking of Metro, Future and the superstar producer are working on a collab album so they will not be out of fresh material if Coachella decides to call.

Sign me up for the V101.9 email newsletter!

Get the latest updates with music news, contests, events, and more when you become a V 101.9 VIP Member. Exclusive access to all things music and soul with your favorite throwback station.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.