Essence Fest will return to New Orleans this June, with a line-up honoring hip-hop on its 50th anniversary. Today (March 29), Billboard has reported that Megan Thee Stallion and Ms. Lauryn Hill will headline the festival. This year’s Essence Festival will take place from June 29 to July 3.
According to the report, Hill will perform her debut album, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, in full to commemorate the album on its 25th anniversary. Also set to perform are Wizkid, Monica, Coco Jones, and Kizz Daniel. Doug E. Fresh will curate a special performance, and DJ Spinderella, DJ Kid Capri, and DJ Clark Kent will perform DJ sets. More performers will be announced soon.
The festival will also coincide with the 30th anniversary of So So Def, which will be celebrated with a performance from the label’s founder Jermaine Dupri, as well as past signees.
“For nearly three decades, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture has been an international and joyful gathering that empowers community throughout the global Black diaspora,” said newly-appointed Vice President of ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Hakeem Holmes, to the magazine. “As the nation’s largest festival by per day attendance, it continues to be a crown jewel of Black culture and plays a pivotal role in the amplification and celebration of the contributions of the Black community through business, music, and more. As we gear up to celebrate the ’50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop’, we couldn’t think of a better way to honor the contributions that genre has made on global culture and the impressions that these artists and their deep musical catalogs, which we all know so well, have been ingrained into the fibers of our day to day lives. This year, we are excited to have everyone join us in celebrating 50 years of musical excellence, experiencing our diverse daytime and nighttime offerings, and in highlighting the importance of Black economic inclusion.”
Tickets are available for purchase here.
Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Source: https://uproxx.com/music/essence-fest-2023-lineup-megan-thee-stallion-lauryn-hil/
