NEW ORLEANS – 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.
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