The annual ESSENCE Festival is usually a good time. The event, held over the Fourth of July weekend in lovely New Orleans, Louisiana, has become not only a mecca for black women looking to have a good time while celebrating their Black Girl Magic, but it's also the place to be to see legendary entertainers and our favorite artists show up and show out for the culture. Well, with the announcement of this year's lineup, let's just say that they've really outdone themselves as the headliners and other featured acts feature a who's who of music royalty that are sure to provide a little something for everybody.
They've booked four festival veterans to headline the event this year, led by industry legends Janet Jackson and two-time Oscar nominee Mary J. Blige. But that's not all, as neo-soul goddesses Jill Scott and Erykah Badu have been tapped for a co-headlining performance that will also feature Snoop Dogg and is curated by The Roots. Can you say lit?! In addition to the iconic star power on the headlining ticket, the festival will also include a lot of our favorites both new and old, with H.E.R., Daniel Caesar, Fantasia, DVSN, Xscape, Miguel — (*pauses for breath*) — 112, Marsha Ambrosius, Ro James and so many, many more. On top of all that, they also have Doug E. Fresh's Legends of Hip-Hop Show with Big Daddy Kane, Kool Moe Dee and more; Kelly Price's For The Love of R&B with Vaughn Willis and Dave Hollister; and Teddy Riley's New Jack Swing Experience with Wreckx-N-Effect, Blackstreet and Guy. On top of all that (can you believe there's more?!), you can also expect a DJ set from Idris Elba, The Read's Kid Fury and Crissle and comedy from mainstage host Roy Wood, Jr.
We got tired just naming all of this talent, and that's not even the half of announced acts as there are still more artists and special guests to come. If you haven't bought your tickets to the event yet, what the heck are you waiting on? Packages start at $150 and are available to purchase now on the ESSENCE Festival website. Before you head over to crash their site, peep the lineup announcement below to get the full list of artists scheduled to appear.
