Lauryn Hill, and Megan Thee Stallion Announced as Headliners for Essence Festival 2023

ESSENCE Fest is set to make its return this year to New Orleans, according to Billboard. Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion will be headlining the festival in honor of HipHop50.

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ESSENCE, slated for June 28-July 3, will see Hill perform songs from her 1998 solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Megan Thee Stallion’s appearance at ESSENCE is the latest in a long string of festival performances for the rapper.

Elsewhere on the line-up are Wizkid, Monica, Coco Jones, and Kizz Daniel for their Festival of Culture stage. There will also be a specially curated performance by Doug E. Fresh while DJ Spinderella, DJ Kid Capri and DJ Clark Kent. So So Def will mark its 30th anniversary with a performance from label owner Jermaine Dupri and Friends.

“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 Vice President of ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Hakeem Holmes. “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 lives,” 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.”

Find tickets for the event, HERE.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella

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