Nineties hip-hop will be in full effect at the 2016 ESSENCE Festival with the just-announced addition of classic rap acts Puff Daddy & the Family and Common to this summer’s dopest lineup.
Taking you back on the flyest of nostalgia trips, Diddy will be reuniting with past and present members of his Bad Boy Records family—plus some other musical kin—at the Festival, which takes place June 30-July 3 in New Orleans. Meanwhile, Common, currently appearing on the big screen in Barbershop: The Next Cut, will be returning to drop his conscious rhymes on the Superdome masses.
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And to get your anticipation turned up even more, we’ve also released our night-by-night schedule. Here’s the nightly artist lineup, headlined by Maxwell (Friday, July 1), Mariah Carey (Saturday, July 2) and Kendrick Lamar (Sunday, July 3):
FRIDAY, JULY 1: Mainstage: Maxwell, New Edition, Babyface, Tyrese, Faith Evans, Avery Wilson. Superlounges: Digable Planets, Daley, Eric Bellinger, Lion Babe, the Internet, Tweet, Estelle, Mali Music, V. Bozeman, Kelly Price, Zakes Bantwini, Skye Wanda.
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SATURDAY, JULY 2: Mainstage: Mariah Carey, Charlie Wilson, Common, Jeremih, Estelle. Superlounges: Doug E. Fresh, Tink, Jidenna, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, St. Beauty, Lalah Hathaway, Judith Hill, Wizkid, Lady Leshurr.
SUNDAY, JULY 3: Mainstage: Kendrick Lamar, Puff Daddy & the Family, Ciara, Andra Day. Superlounges: MC Lyte, Dej Loaf, Cyril Neville, Leon Bridges, Kehlani, New Breed Brass Band, Robert Glasper Experiment, BJ the Chicago Kid, the Brand New Heavies, Little Simz.
Purchase your tickets to the 2016 ESSENCE Festival here and check back for more updates.