[Review] Day One of ESSENCE Fest

Daytime Experience

People of all ages gathered inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center starting at 10 AM for the Daytime Experience of ESSENCE Festival Of Culture™ presented By Coca-Cola! For the second consecutive year, ESSENCE took over the entire building including, a Food & Wine Festival, BeautyCon, a Film Festival, a Wellness House, a Community Impact Hub, a Market, and more. And there was no shortage of things for music lovers to do!

Questlove had a book signing for his new release, Hip-Hop History, which looks back on the first 50 years of hip-hop including the cultural and creative forces that shaped the genre into what it is today! At AT&T’s Dream in Black activation, attendees could listen to a live taping happening on the stage with R&B singer, Kenny Latimore and the R&B Money Podcast. Plus AT&T brought rapper and The Lox member, Jadakiss, for an unforgettable performance! 

New Orleans’ own, Khayree “La Reezy” Salahuddin performed at the ESSENCE Stage! The 19-year-old rapper is just getting started. The crowd heard him showcase his abilities as he performed tracks from his new self-produced EP, ‘U.T.H. – Utilizing Time Here.’ He’s an artist to watch and I hope to see him return to ESSENCE again! 

At Coca-Cola’s Main Booth, attendees performed hits like Beyonce’s “Upgrade U,” Muni Long’s “Made for Me,” Monica’s “So Gone, and “ Lil Wayne’s “Mrs. Officer” during a karaoke competition. The crowd voted for their favorite and the winner took home a pair of tickets to attend Friday night’s Evening Concert Series! Later, JT (formerly of the hip-hop duo, City Girls) took the stage for a 15-minute set! During her performance of her recent single, “Okay” she brought out cast members of the Zeus Network shows Baddies including Natalie Nunn, Jelaminah “Jela” Lanier, and more!

Evening Concert Series

The weather tried but you could not stop the party that was Night One of the Evening Concert Series at ESSENCE Festival Of Culture™ presented By Coca-Cola! The night kicked off with a soulful performance by Jacquees. I spoke with one concert-goer who said he ‘performed like it was a packed house.’

Busta Rhymes took the stage and left quite the impression. “I don’t give a f*ck how many seats empty in this b*tch, everybody that’s here get the f*ck up! F*ck them camera phones too, let’s get back to interacting like humans,” the 52-year-old rapper scolded the crowd. 

The weather wasn’t the only thing slowing down entry into the  Caesar’s Superdome. There was heightened security around the stadium, including Secret Service agents! Vice President Kamala Harris came onto the main stage to say hello to the crowd, “What’s up, Essence Fest? I had to stop by to congratulate the Essence on 30 years of the Essence Festival of Culture. So enjoy this evening. Let us always celebrate the diversity, the depth, and the beauty of our culture. Have fun tonight and I’ll see you at the convention center tomorrow.”  

One of the highlights of the night was The Roots’ set which featured country music star, Mickey Guyton; R&B songstress Ari Lennox; and the legend himself T-Pain. There was something special about seeing Mickey Guyton perform her Grammy-nominated track, “Black Like Me” in front of a predominantly Black crowd. The fifteen minutes T-Pain was on the stage confirmed he needs to return to the main stage in 2025 with his own hour-long set. He had everyone on their feet during their performance wanting more! R&B singer-songwriter Raphael Saadiq also needs to come back next year! His 30-minute set, although a major highlight of the show, just wasn’t enough! From his artistry to his smooth voice to his penmanship, he’s unmatched and needed a full hour on the main stage. 

Like all good parties, Night One of the Evening Concert Series had to come to an end. What better way to finish than with a Cash Money performance? Former New Orleans Mayor and current president of the National Urban League, Marc Morial presented Cash Money Records with a proclamation before their performance! Fun fact: Cash Money Records is the largest independent black-owned record label in the world!

The two-hour-long set kicked off with Mannie Fresh, Birdman, and recently released Hot Boy, BG. It felt like a part two of last year’s Hip-Hop 50 celebration once special guests started coming on stage: New York’s hip-hop group, The Lox; Houston’s Bun B who is half of the rap duo UGK; Atlanta’s 2 Chainz; and Houston’s Bushwick Bill from Geto Boys! Each performed a few of their biggest hits which had me wondering when we were getting to the Cash Money part of the show. But rest assured, they were just getting started. Juvenile, along with Mannie Fresh, BG, and Birdman returned to the stage to perform everything from “Project Bitch” to “Slow Motion” to “Back That Azz Up” to “I Need A Hot Girl.”

To everyone’s surprise, Lil Wayne, made a surprise appearance for the third year in a row at ESSENCE. In 2022, he joined Nicki Minaj on stage during her set, and last year he surprised the crowd on the final day of the festival with an entire set! This year, he joined the Cash Money team for their tribute performance but it was evident there was tension seeing as he didn’t interact with anyone on stage and only performed his solo work!

The night ended just before 2 a.m. Kudos to any and everyone who stayed to the very end!