Celebrity Coverage
Here’s who will perform on Friday evening at the ESSENCE 2024 Culture Festival
ESSENCE 2024 Cultural Festival is just just a few weeks away. People across the country are preparing for this monumental event, which will happen in amazing New Orleans from July 4-7. A series of evening live shows at Caesar’s Superdome features an all-star lineup of incredible performers, including its headliner, Birdman, who will have fun “30 Years Of Cash Money.”
Hosted by Pretty Vee and Punkie Johnson and provided by DJ Raj Smoove, Friday has something for everybody, no matter musical palette. In addition to the fundamental event, the evening will also feature a long-awaited set from Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and producer Raphael Saadiq. Attendees will also have the option to look at a medley performance by The Roots, featuring country star Mickey Guyton, singer Ari Lennox and the iconic T-Pain.
For an enormous dose of hip-hop, Busta Rhymes will take the stage to deliver a few of his hits throughout his three-decade-plus profession. Jacquees, who is currently signed to Bryan “Birdman” Williams’ Cash Money label, will also perform, adding a touch of traditional R&B to the evening’s mixture of sounds.
The ESSENCE™ Cultural Festival presented by Coca-Cola® will happen on July 4-7. For more information and updates about the festival, visit our website and follow us on social media @ESSENCEFest on X, FacebookAND Instagram.
Ahead of next month’s festivities, let’s have a look at who will perform on Friday night as a part of the 2024 Evening Concert Series at Caesar’s Superdome.
Bryan “Birdman” Williams
Bryan Williams, higher known by his nicknames “Birdman” or “Baby”, co-founded Cash Money Records along with his older brother Ronald “Slim” Williams in 1991. In addition to being a member of The Big Tymers with Mannie Fresh, Williams also released 4 solo albums –Bird-man (2002), Quick money (2005), 5 * Stun (2007) i Priceless (2009).
In addition to his direct releases, Williams is best known for locating BG, Juvenile, Turk and Lil Wayne, collectively often known as The Hot Boys. As head of Cash Money Records, he was instrumental in Wayne’s profession and business success, in addition to future artists including Drake and Nicki Minaj, who were signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment.
His performance during the series of evening live shows of the ESSENCE 2024 Cultural Festival on the occasion of the “30th anniversary of cash” will provide participants with loads of surprises.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 2: Cash Money Records CEO and Founder, Birdman, addresses the audience during honors during the Emline Ball at The Fillmore New Orleans on February 2, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo: Peter G. Forest/Getty Images)
Rafał Saadiq
Saadiq rose to fame as a member of the multi-platinum group Tony! Toni! Tone! In the nineties. In addition to his solo and group profession, he has also produced songs for artists comparable to Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Total, D’Angelo, TLC, En Vogue, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Whitney Houston, Solange Knowles and John Legend.
In 1998, Saadiq left his group after releasing their last studio album House of Music. The following yr, Saadiq contacted Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Dawn Robinson to form a brand new supergroup, and the three began recording an album under the name Lucy Pearl. In 2017, Saadiq was nominated for an Oscar for his work on the song “Mighty River” from the Netflix film Mud.
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 17: Raphael Saadiq performs at Paristown Hall Old Forester on February 17, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo: Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)
Roots
Fresh off the success of this yr’s Roots Picnic, the Philadelphia collective continues to put claim to being certainly one of the biggest groups of all time. Known for his or her jazzy and eclectic approach to hip hop using live musical instruments, the group’s work consistently receives critical acclaim. They currently play as the house band on a well-liked late night talk show on NBC, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 08: Black Thought of The Roots performs at Mass MoCA on July 8, 2022 in North Adams, MA. (Photo: Douglas Mason/WireImage)
Mickey Guyton
On Friday, The Roots will be joined by country star Mickey Guyton, whose music combines elements of latest country, pop and R&B. In 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, Guyton released the single “Black Like Me”, which is about her experiences as a Black woman in country music. The song helped further develop Guyton’s profession and earned her her first-ever Grammy nomination, becoming the first black woman ever nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JUNE 07: Mickey Guyton performs on the CMA Dr. stage. Pepper Amp Stage during CMA Fest 2024 at Music City Center on June 7, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
Ari Lennox
Washington native Ari Lennox was the first artist signed to J. Cole’s label, Dreamville Records. During her profession, she released two critically acclaimed albums:Baby with shea butter (2019) i Age gender place of residence (2022). She was nominated for several awards from Soul Train and the NAACP, in addition to a Grammy nomination for her performance on the compilation, Revenge of the Dreamers III.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 12: Ari Lennox performs during the Rod Wave Nostalgia Tour at Smoothie King Center on December 12, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
T-Pain
Rounding out The Roots’ set is T-Pain, who burst onto the scene in 2005 with the single “I’m Sprung.” He has since appeared in nine Billboard Top 100 singles, including “Good Life” and “Blame It,” which won Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance, respectively. Known for popularizing the use of auto-tune, T-Pain stays a pioneer in the music industry.
NAPA, CALIFORNIA – MAY 25: Singer, songwriter and record producer T-Pain performs live on stage during BottleRock at the Napa Valley Expo on May 25, 2024 in Napa, California. (Photo by Jim Bennett/Getty Images)
Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes was an original member of Leaders of the New School, eventually going solo after just a few years with the group. In 1996, he released his first solo album, which included the successful single “Woo Hah!! I even have you all under control.” Over the course of his 30-year profession, Busta has released 11 solo projects, including 2023 Blockbustand was nominated for 12 Grammy Awards.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 02: Busta Rhymes performs on stage during Hot 97 Summer Jam 2024 at UBS Arena on June 2, 2024 in New York City. (Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Jacquees
The Georgian native has been creating music for nearly 20 years. After the success of his first EP I’m Jacqueesre-released an independently distributed project, 19which peaked at number 15 in the US Billboard Most popular R&B albums. The EP gained recognition from Birdman, prompting the latter to sign him to his label Cash Money Records. With three albums, five EPs and a slew of singles under his belt, the singer continues to shine in the highlight.
AUSTELL, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 08: Singer Jacquees performs on stage during the ESSENCE 2023 Holiday Special at the Riverside EpiCenter on November 8, 2023 in Austell, Georgia. (Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images)