*Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion will headline this year’s ESSENCE Fest in New Orleans as part of the event’s 50 years of hip-hop celebration.
The lineup will feature additional hip-hop acts including Wizkid, Monica, Coco Jones, Kizz Daniel, Doug E. Fresh, DJ Spinderella, DJ Kid Capri, and DJ Clark Kent, according to Billboard.
Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def record label will also be spotlighted as part of its 30th-anniversary celebration. Additionally, comedians Deon Cole, Affion Crockett, Spice Adams, and Janelle James will host nightly festivities.
“For nearly three decades, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture has been an international and joyful gathering that empowers community throughout the global Black diaspora,” says newly-appointed Vice President of ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Hakeem Holmes.
READ MORE: Mariah Carey and Megan Thee Stallion to Headline L.A. Pride in the Park
50 years of Hip-Hop takes the main stage. Consider this your official invite.
The Headliners: Ms. Lauryn Hill & Megan Thee Stallion
With sets curated by: Jermaine Dupri & Friends & Doug E. Fresh and MOREKeep your notifications ON, as this is the FIRST of many announcements. pic.twitter.com/jMLMeCdsm9
— ESSENCE Festival (@essencefest) March 29, 2023
“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 loves,” Holmes continued.
“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.”
More acts for ESSENCE Fest (June 29 – July 3) will be added to the lineup soon.
In related news, Megan Thee Stallion has also been tapped to headline this year’s L.A. Pride in the Park with Mariah Carey.
The event will go down in June at Los Angeles State Historic Park.
