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A Look At The Line-Up For ESSENCE Festival 2025

BY Dora Abena Dzaka April 16, 2025 7:10 PM EDT
Photo Credit: Facebook @Essence Festival

ESSENCE has announced the first round of performers from their 2025 ESSENCE Festival line-up, which will start from July 4 through July 6, and as usual, organizers brought their A game.

The 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture will be presented by Coca-Cola and will be hosted by Anthony Anderson and Kenny Burns.

This year’s festival theme is “Made Like This,” which “serves as both an affirmation and a rallying cry [as] it speaks to the generations of Black brilliance that have shaped the world and continue to move it forward.”

More performers are set to be announced in the coming weeks. Weekend packages are currently available, and guests are encouraged to download the official ESSENCE Fest app for exclusive offers, real-time updates, and customized schedules.

Last year’s illustrious affair saw Usher celebrating 20 years of Confessions, which saw him performing almost the entire LP.

Also, there was a historic moment as Frankie Beverly received his flowers one last time before his passing.

Other performances at the 2024 festival were Birdman, Janet Jackson, Victoria Monét, Raphael Saadiq, Usher, Charlie Wilson, TGT (Tank, Ginuwine, and Tyrese), SW, V, and more tore down The Superdome.

The festival also saw NOLA icons Tank and The Bangas, Teedra Moses, and Dawn Richard all put on for their city, and Doug E. Fresh, Bilal, Anthony Hamilton, Luke James, and Jagged Edge honoring Beverly.

Therefore, with those memories still swirling around, we can’t wait to see what this year’s festival will have in store.

Below is the list of performers announced so far:

Muni Long

Summer Walker

GloRilla

Maxwell

Davido

Master P

Boyz II Men

Donell Jones

Buju Banton

The Isley Brothers

Nas

Meanwhile, Legendary producer Jermaine Dupri is set to spearhead a tribute for the late music icon Quincy Jones.

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