Justin Bieber’s 2026 Coachella set is generating buzz among his fellow music stars.

The 32-year-old pop superstar headlined the festival’s main stage in Indio, California, on Saturday night (April 11) with a hit-filled set that took festival-goers on a stroll down memory lane as he also showcased some of his early YouTube videos.

“Thank God he has Premium. I don’t wanna see no ads,” Katy Perry joked in an Instagram video she posted while watching Bieber’s set from the crowd.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry)

Perry, who wore a shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Pls don’t give me a rip off your vape no matter what I say,” attended weekend one of Coachella with her boyfriend, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Maybach Music Group (MMG), founded by Rick Ross in 2008 as an imprint initially tied to Def Jam, exploded onto the hip-hop scene in the early 2010s as one of the most formidable collective forces in rap. Ross leveraged his own commercial dominance—following hits like Port of Miami and Teflon Don—to build a luxurious, boss-lifestyle brand centered around the iconic “Maybach Music” tag and the Self Made compilation series.

At its peak, the roster featured a powerhouse lineup including Meek Mill, Wale, French Montana, Omarion, Stalley, and Gunplay, delivering chart-topping albums, massive features, and an aura of untouchable success. The label secured major distribution deals with Warner and later Atlantic, churning out hits that defined the era’s lavish, street-meets-opulence sound and positioning MMG as a potential heir to empires like Roc-A-Fella or Young Money.

However, the empire’s collapse was gradual and multifaceted. Internal tensions, most notably the very public feud between labelmates Meek Mill and Wale, exposed cracks in the unity. Legal troubles plagued key artists, including Ross’s own high-profile cases and Meek’s incarceration, while several signees (Gunplay, Stalley, and others) failed to sustain mainstream momentum or deliver on their early promise. Distribution shifts, missed release windows, and a broader industry move away from traditional label collectives further eroded the brand’s dominance.

By the mid-to-late 2010s, MMG had largely transitioned from a bustling collective to primarily a vehicle for Ross’s solo career and occasional joint projects, such as his 2023 album with Meek Mill under a new Gamma imprint deal. Though the “Maybach Music” name and Instagram presence endure, the once-mighty label never fully lived up to its sky-high potential, ultimately serving as a cautionary tale of how even the strongest boss-led movements can fade when momentum, chemistry, and timing slip away.

In a surprising twist that has left fans buzzing, former Hot 97 stars Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez, and Peter Rosenberg have publicly accused the iconic New York radio station of refusing to issue their final paychecks following the abrupt cancellation of the long-running Ebro in the Morning show last year. During a recent episode of their new podcast, The Ebro Laura Rosenberg Show, the trio didn’t hold back: Laura bluntly stated that Hot 97 “owes us money… they owe us a lot of money, and they don’t want to pay us,” while emphasizing that the matter falls under a union contract the station appears to be disregarding.

Ebro highlighted the labor protections involved, suggesting the company is going against the union, and Rosenberg expressed deep frustration, claiming all three are “getting done completely dirty” and hinting that the corporate owners may be prepared to drag the dispute out in court rather than settle quickly. The allegations have sparked widespread discussion online, painting a picture of lingering bad blood after years of the team delivering hip-hop news, debates, and entertainment to loyal listeners. As the situation unfolds, many in the industry are watching to see whether the matter resolves amicably or heads to a more formal legal battle.

Akademiks reacts to this insane news below: