The ESSENCE Festival of Culture is returning for its 29th annual summer event, and this year it’s celebrating 50 years of hip hop.
To help with the honor, ESSENCE has announced that Megan Thee Stallion and Lauryn Hill will headline the experience. According to the outlet, Hill will give a special performance of her Grammy Award-winning album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, as it turns 25.
Beatboxer Doug E. Fresh will also put on a unique show highlighting hip hop pioneers. But the honoring won’t stop there. As So So Def hits its 30th-anniversary mark, Jermaine Dupri will hit the stage and bring some of the biggest names out of Atlanta with him.
In a statement, ESSENCE Festival of Culture Vice President Hakeem Holmes said, “For nearly three decades, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture has been an international and joyful gathering that empowers community throughout the global Black diaspora. As the nation’s largest festival by per day attendance, it continues to be a crown jewel of Black culture. [It] 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 the 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,” he continued.
Other artists set to appear onstage are Wizkid, Monica, Coco Jones, and Kizz Daniel. The outlet reported that they will announce additional talent soon. The in-person and virtual experience will see hosts Deon Cole, Affion Crockett, Spice Adams, and Janelle James at work while the sounds are played by DJ Spinderella, DJ Kid Capri, and DJ Clark Kent. The four-day event will kick off on June 29. Tickets are available now.