Kendrick Lamar & Rihanna Reportedly Turned Down Headlining Coachella Next Year

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.6K Views
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60th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Backstage
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Recording artists Kendrick Lamar (L) and Rihanna, winners of Best Rap/Sung Performance for 'LOYALTY.' pose during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
What could be keeping the "LOYALTY." duo so busy or disinterested?

Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna fans are desperate for a new album, but it looks like they might not have much to promote... Right? Well, according to a recent Bloomberg report, Goldenvoice's president Paul Tollet is shopping around for Coachella 2025 headliners, and asked the "LOYALTY." duo if the would be down. Apparently, they turned the offer down, although this doesn't necessarily indicate that they won't be coming out with something soon. This report also claimed that K.Dot will go on a stadium tour in 2025, and his Super Bowl halftime show next year also suggests that he's got something to roll out.

As for RiRi... We're all out of guesses. We don't know if she's just really working that hard on perfecting her next record over the course of almost a decade at this point. Also, Rihanna continues to grow her business empire and her family, so she has plenty of extracurricular reasons to maybe leave the music to the side at this point. Die-hards hope that this isn't the case, but at this point, we have to be pessimistic rather than blindly hopeful.

Kendrick Lamar & Rihanna Allegedly Turned Coachella Down

In addition, we also need to compare this reported Coachella rejection to the Super Bowl halftime show. When Rihanna performed last year, she didn't follow it up with an album release, which was very disappointing even for the fans hyped about her pregnancy reveal. As for Kendrick Lamar, he's got his headlining slot coming up in New Orleans on February 9, one that the Barbadian singer is very excited for. Of course, this doesn't guarantee an album rollout, or even new material. But we can't imagine that the Compton lyricist didn't attack Drake with a plan to have this lead into something larger or what he really wants to talk about and share with the world.

Whether or not you think Kendrick Lamar deserved the Super Bowl slot is another story. Regardless of that debate, he and Rihanna continue to be at the top of people's "most anticipated albums" list. Coachella-goers next year sadly won't see them on the main stage, but this speculative discussion around their next moves will continue regardless of a "yes" or "no" answer. As such, no report or theory will close the door or open it when it comes to their next record, unless either of them says anything to the contrary.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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