Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion headline 2023 Essence Fest

This summer's Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans will commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip hop with performances by Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion and Jermaine Dupri

Chevel Johnson Rodrigue
Wednesday 29 March 2023 20:52 BST

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Hip hop takes center stage at this summer's Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans as the event commemorates the 50th anniversary of the genre with performances by Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion and Jermaine Dupri.

Rap artist Doug E. Fresh will curate special performances by other soon-to-be announced hip hop pioneers, while Hill will mark the 25th anniversary of her five-time Grammy-winning album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."

In addition, the event will laud Dupri, a Grammy award-winning producer and founder of the So So Def record label, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. He will coordinate special performances by some of the Atlanta-based artists that So So Def has produced. Those performers have yet to be named, but Dupri has worked with Da Brat, Bow Wow, Xscape, Jagged Edge and Anthony Hamilton.

Also headlining is three-time Grammy winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, whose work includes such hits as “Savage,” “Hot Girl Summer,” and “Body.”

The festival is set to run June 30 through July 3, with three nights of music inside the Superdome, beginning that Friday. Other artists scheduled to perform so far include Monica, Wizkid, Coco Jones and Kizz Daniel, with more talent for the nightly concerts to be announced later.

Presented by Coca-Cola, the festival has featured some of the world’s biggest entertainers including Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Prince, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Kendrick Lamar and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.

Essence Fest was founded in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Essence Magazine, but it has grown into one of New Orleans’ marquee events bolstering the city’s summer tourism season.

In addition to the concerts, there are free daytime seminars held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as well as the Essence Food & Wine Festival, Beautycon, Essence Authors and other events held in the city and aimed at engaging the community and economically benefiting local Black-owned businesses.

“As the nation’s largest festival by per day attendance, (the festival) 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,” said Vice President of ESSENCE Festival of Culture Hakeem Holmes.

Both Hill and Dupri have history with Essence. Hill performed at the festival in 1999, and last year, she made a surprise appearance during her former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean's set, sending the audience into orbit with their performance of “Fu-Gee-La” and “Ready or Not.”

Dupri shared the 2019 stage with Grammy-winning songbird Mariah Carey, rapper Lil Jon and others.

In 2020 and 2021, the festival was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 version was held in-person and virtually, resulting in 1.9 million live and virtual attendees, according to organizers.

Three-night ticket packages for the Superdome concerts are on sale now, starting at $214 plus fees. Single-night tickets are not available yet.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in