Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications Inc. has announced that this year's Essence Music Festival will be headlined by Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Kanye West, and Trey Songz.
"We listen to our audience, and the performers in our first roll-out are the musicians they want to see under one roof over the Fourth of July weekend," says Michelle Ebanks. "Our mission this year was to celebrate community through the prism of the art form that continues to tell our reader's stories: R&B.
This year's Essence Music Festival will be held over the course of three days starting on July 1st in New Orleans, at the Louisiana Superdome.
Besides the headliners there will be so many great performances to see over these three days. Mavis Staples, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Charlie Wilson, Fantasia Barrino, Boyz II Men, Stephanie Mills, Dwele, Alexander O'Neal & Cherrelle, Mint Condition, Kelly Price, M.C. Lyte and many more.
Purchase your tickets for the Essence Music Festival on Essence.com
Believe it or not, Glamazons, Janet Jackson's performance was only the beginning of the fun.
The next day, Ferocia and I headed to the Convention Center for an eventful day at the Ford Sirius booth. We rocked our NEW Glamazon tees, which read "You're looking at a GLAMAZON. No pictures, please." They are our very first design, and were a huge hit at the center! What do you think of them?
First, we got to test-drive the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which is our new favorite car. The hybrid lets you upload music from CD's and Ipods to your car's hard drive so you can say Good-bye to lugging your CD case every time you get in and out of the car.
It has a state-of-the-art advanced navigation system that not only directs you to your destination but reverses the directions for you when it's time to return home (umm, how amazing is that!).
Better yet, it's fuel-efficient operating on 41 miles per gallon. Pretty cool, right? According to Ferocia, who got behind the wheel, it drives like a dream.
After our joy ride, we headed to the Ford Sirius booth where T.I. came through to promote his new film, The Takers, followed by a surprise appearance by Trey Songz. And let's just say the girls---and bodyguards protecting the stars from the girls (you'll see Trey's below)---went crazy!
Both Idris Elba and Trey Songz tried to leave the convention center and were followed by rabid, crazed, screaming fans! Women (including one with a baby on her hip) chased Trey's car down the street screaming and banging on the window. Yeah, never that serious!
In the midst of all that craziness, the stars of the new film, The Takers, Idris Elba and Boris Kodjoe took a moment to chat with us and our good friends from Rolling Out. Boris gave us the scoop on his upcoming fashion line, and Idris let us in on his favorite songs to play when he DJ's. Check it out!
I am a lucky girl. I've been a Janet Jackson stan since I could remember (I learned how to dance watching Pleasure Principle, how to flirt watching the "You Want This" video, how to balance sexy and cute watching "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," the list goes on).
And at the end of last year, I saw her perform "Scream" for her brother in person at the 2009 VMA's, met her for the first time at the Why Did I Get Married Too premiere AND saw her perform a full-fledged concert on Friday at the ESSENCE Music Festival in New Orleans.
And guys, you haven't lived until you've seen a Jackson perform, particularly the full fierce-and-fabulousness that is Janet Jackson. At forty-something, the August ESSENCE covergirl beat, killed and resurrected the Superdome main stage during Friday's performance.
She performed for two hours---with intermissions---gjving the audience everything she had with each number. She opened with Pleasure Principle (a cult classic) and went on to perform Control, What Have You Done For Me Lately, Feedback, You Want This, Miss You Much, I Get Lonely and so much more.
Her dance moves were impeccable, her voice flawless...and her fashion? Miss Jackson rocked everything from a metallic leotard to a glorious nude leotard that showed off all her sexy curves.
The highlights included an intermission with a video montage of all Janet's acting roles like Penny in Good Times, Charlene from Diff'rent Strokes and Cleo from Fame to Justice from Poetic Justice and Patricia in Why Did I Get Married Too. The crowd clapped ferociously for her Good Times, Poetic Justice and Why Did I Get Married scenes, establishing Janet as a beloved actress AND performer.
And the best part of the evening was her performance of Discipline. She did her signature set-up from the Velvet Rope tour where she takes an unsuspecting man from the audience (who I met backstage! He called the moment "awesome"), ties him up and has her way with him.
Janet let him lick her hand (below), fall face-forward into her mounds of cleavage AND she rode him onstage, clothes on of course. The picture above is her bouncing on top of him, you can see his bald head in the foreground. I could not pick my bottom lip off the ground. Janet was risque, yet in complete control of her sexuality. I love it!
Check the video below:
After that show, Janet performed Nasty, Black Cat and Rhythm Nation (with all the dancers in perfect sync! What a sight to see!) before closing the show. Or so we thought.
Dressed in all white, Janet reappeared after twenty breathless minutes and shut down "Make Me" which she announced as her 33rd #1 hit. To close the phenomenal show, Janet performed "Together Again" with an angelic voice and spirited dance moves. The entire audience was jumping up and down with Janet; it was glorious.
When she got to the bridge and sang acapella: "There are times when I look above and beyond, there are times when I feel your love around me, baby..." pictures of her and the late Michael Jackson emerged on the screen---and the montage continued throughout the song.
Pictures of the siblings from childhood to their iconic "Scream" video brought smiles and applause from the audience. It was such a beautiful, memorable moment.
Check out pictures of the Glamazons hanging out backstage in the VIP Belvedere lounge below:
Here's a picture of the lounge backstage.
The Glamazons backstage in the VIP Belvedere Lounge with Glamazonian icon Mikki Taylor
Niecey Nash gets a bartending lesson backstage
The Belve Peach ESSENCE drink which Niecey is learning to make was absolutely delicious! Ferocia and I were sipping on it all night long! The drink consists of 1/2 oz Belvedere Vodka, 1 oz Peach Snapps, 1/2 oz Lemon Juice and 3 oz of freshly brewed sweetened ice tea. Heaven!
Yum! We spotted Boris Kodjoe backstage at the lounge. (We'd get to interview him later, didn't I say we are lucky girls?)
The ultimate crooner, Keith Sweat, was there! ::Sings:: Girl, you got me twisted over youuu...
Nene Leakes chatted it up with us at the event. She met Ferocia at the ESSENCE It Girl Competition in Atlanta, and declared that I am just as crazy! LOL
I met one of my favorite musicians, Raphael Saadiq! He said he is coming out with an album later this year! Yesss!
Tyler Perry and the Reverend Al Sharpton. Glamazons, partying with the Reverend Al Sharpton is truly a surreal moment.
Fun times all around! Stay tuned for more.
Kisses,
Coutura
Backstage Photos: Frank Micelotta Photos.
Janet Jackson concert photo while riding audience member: Billionheir.
