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From June 29th-July 3rd, ESSENCE Fest will take over New Orleans to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop history, with headlining performances from Ms. Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion as well as a plethora of rap, R&B and Afrobeat artists. The festival took a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic but came back stronger than ever last year with iconic performances from The Roots, Lucky Daye and Tems.

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This year, hilarious hosts like Deon Cole and Janelle James, plus performances from WizKid and Monica are sure to make ESSENCE Fest a long weekend to remember. As if these performances aren’t exciting enough, there are plenty more artists being added to the lineup soon. The festival is also making sure to honor hip-hop's roots with curations from Doug E. Fresh and Jermaine Dupri, as well as DJ sets from DJ Clark Kent, DJ Spinderella and Kid Capri. ESSENCE Fest started back in 1995 as a celebration of the 25th anniversary of ESSENCE magazine, and over a quarter century later it’s still in full swing, celebrating hip-hops 50th birthday party.

Check out the official ESSENCE website for updates.