DAY THREE: DAYTIME EXPERIENCE
The Evening Concert Series isn’t the only place to catch unforgettable performances. The ESSENCE Festival of Culture’s daytime experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center was filled with pop-up performances and conversations with your favorite artists.
- BIA and Rico Nasty both performed at the Coca-Cola activation. A conversation with the Season 5 cast of Coke’s series, “If Not For My Girls” was also held. Muni Long, BIA, and Pretty Vee discussed the magic of differences coming together!
- On the ESSENCE Stage, Grammy-award winner Anthony Hamilton performed along with JxHines, Don Knock & Eric Penn!
- At AT&T’s Dream in Black activation, they had a performance by emerging artist, Denisia Keys followed by a performance by R&B singer, Amerie!
- The boss himself, Rick Ross was in the building. ESSENCE President & CEO, Caroline Wanga had a ‘Boss to Boss’ conversation with Ross.
DAY THREE: NIGHTTIME EXPERIENCE
First to take the stage at Saturday’s Evening Concert Series was R&B singer and 2023 BET Awards Best New Artist winner, Coco Jones. “The last time I was on this stage, I was 16…I am so grateful for where I’m at right now,” Jones shared with the crowd. One of my favorite parts was when she performed her song, “Crazy for Me” and transitioned to a cover of Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love.” Throughout her set, the actress showed she is a triple threat – acts, has an incredible vocal range, and can dance! Before she (and the crowd) performed her ballad, “ICU,” she told everyone, “This is our song.”
The words “We Da West” appeared on the screen as Lady of Rage, Ice Cube, DJ Quik, E-40, Ice-T, JJ Fad, and Yo-Yo took the crowd on a trip to the westside. From The Lady of Rage performing “Afro Puffs” to J.J. Fad second lining with umbrellas while performing “Supersonic,” the West Coast All Stars showed the crowd they know how to party! Ice T showed he’s still got it as he performed his 1988 hit, “Colors.” The west coast closed out with a performance by none other than Los Angeles native, Ice Cube!
R&B singer Monica showed exactly why she’s been in the music industry for over three decades. From her 1995 hit, “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)” to “So Gone” the 2003 track that went viral on the internet over a decade later, Monica is still miss thang! In addition to her long list of classic songs, the Georgia native took a moment during her set to pay tribute to three late New Orleans rappers Soulja Slim, 5th Ward Weebie, and Magnolia Shorty. Later in the night, Soulja Slim was highlighted in a standalone tribute. The tribute featured his sister, G.I. Peachez, and his mother, Linda Tapp.
Jermaine Dupri’s ‘The South Got Something to Say’ curated performance featured hip-hop artists Big Boi, Gucci Mane, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and T.I. Would I say the South has something to say…or Atlanta? Either way, the A delivered was a high-energy set that had everyone on their feet! This was one of the best performances and sets I’ve seen this weekend – from Big Boi performing some of Outkast’s biggest hits to Lil Jon taking us from the windows to the walls to T.I. inspiring us to live our lives and putting God first to Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri welcoming us to Atlanta where the playas play.
It’s been twenty-three years since Jill Scott released her debut album, Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1. The pandemic put a hold on Scott’s plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary in 2020 but three years later, attendees got a chance to celebrate the milestone with the Grammy Award winner. “Thank you so much for allowing me to tell my story…your support means a lot to me. You don’t have to do it but you do,” Scott shared with the crowd. One highlight of her 50-minute set was her rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Before singing her rewrite of the national anthem, she prefaced that she wrote it when she was 19 and she was now 51 – Scott received a standing ovation as the song ended with “…and the home of the slaves.”
She’s the ESSENCE Magazine July cover star and the first female in Hip-Hop to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Birthday girl, Missy Elliott, headlined Saturday night of the Evening Concert Series. Similar to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, as fest-goers entered Caesar’s Superdome, they were handed LED wristbands that made them an integral part of Missy Elliot’s set. Throughout her hour-long set, Missy Misdemeanor Elliot took the crowd through three acts and over twenty songs from her 25-year-long career. Led masks, skaters, spaceships, costume changes, and more. The crowd lost control when the VA native ran through the crowd during her encore performance of “Lose Control.”
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