Essence Festival to hit a high note
Nelly and 'P. Diddy' added to July lineup
Friday March 21, 2003
By Keith Spera
Music writer
The Essence Music Festival will feature some new faces when it returns to the Superdome for the ninth time July 3-5.
Nelly, the St. Louis rapper who scored massive pop hits with "Country Grammar" and "Hot In Herre," makes his Essence debut by headlining the festival's first night. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, the hip-hop empire-builder, also will perform at Essence for the first time. He is scheduled to close out the main stage on July 4 with New Edition, Faith Evans, Carl Thomas and Loon, artists from his Bad Boy Records "family."
Actor and comedian Jamie Foxx is slated to appear on July 3. Chaka Khan and relative newcomer Jaheim are on the July 4 schedule.
Old-school R&B returns in force on July 5, the fest's final night. Maze, featuring Frankie Beverly, is back to close out the festival, as the group has each year. Vocalist Anita Baker precedes Maze on the main stage.
Soul singer Smokey Robinson also is scheduled for the main stage on July 5, along with host Tom Joyner and singer Heather Headley. Headley starred on Broadway as the title character of the Tim Rice-Elton John musical "Aida" and released her contemporary R&B debut, "This Is Who I Am," on RCA Records last year.
The four "superlounge" stages in the Dome's corridors will offer their usual mix of R&B, funk, blues, hip-hop and jazz. The schedule for July 3 includes R&B heartthrob Keith Sweat, jazz/R&B vocalist Dianne Reeves and veteran reggae act Third World.
On July 4, the superlounges feature hip-hop pioneers Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh, smooth jazz singer Michael Franks and 1970s funk collective the S.O.S. Band.
Contemporary R&B singer Will Downing, hip-hop combo Nappy Roots, veteran soul man Bobby "Blue" Bland and Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers all appear in the superlounges July 5.
Additional main stage and superlounge artists will be announced for both July 3 and 4.
Essence Communications Partners, publisher of Essence magazine, owns the Essence Festival and produces it in association with Festival Productions Inc., the producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Initially conceived in 1995 as a celebration of Essence magazine's 25th anniversary, this "party with a purpose" has grown into one of the nation's premier urban music showcases.
In addition to the three nights of concerts, Essence presents "empowerment seminars" at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center covering popular culture, spirituality, romance and other topics. More than 223,000 people attended the concerts and seminars in 2002.
In January, city and Essence Communications officials announced an agreement to keep the festival in New Orleans at least through 2006, with a "rolling extension" for 2007 that would kick in automatically if incentive goals are met. Local hospitality industry officials initially balked at an extension negotiated by former Mayor Marc Morial that they felt was too costly.
Edward Lewis, the chairman and chief executive of Essence Communications, threatened to cancel or move the festival if the agreement was not accepted. Mayor Ray Nagin eventually renegotiated the deal to all parties' satisfaction.
Tickets to each night of the Essence Festival are $125 and $75 for floor seats, and $35, $45 and $55 for balcony seats. Tickets are on sale now at the Superdome box office and, with additional service charges, through Ticketmaster at (504) 522-5555 or ticketmaster.com.
Vote for Entertainer of the year:
http://www.essence.com/essence/awards/home_2003.htm
My assistant taught me during lunch one day. I searched all over the Superdome floor to find a group that was doing this instead of the electric slide. (NOW, I'm too good to do the ES! 
I **heart** Usher
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