Can you believe Queen Latifah has already been gracing us with her presence for 30 years across music, film and TV? To celebrate, the GRAMMY winner will perform at the 2018 Essence Festival in New Orleans.
<iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f8cHxydDb7o" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Fans will get to hear Latifah run through some of her biggest hits, including the GRAMMY-winning track "U.N.I.T.Y.," "Ladies First" and "Bananas (Who You Gonna Call?)." Though it's her first time performing at the popular festival, which "celebrates music, entertainment, empowerment, and culture," it's not her first appearance at Essence. In fact, Latifah hosted the very first Essence Festival in 1995.
"For the past three decades and counting, [Queen Latifah] has consistently aligned her massive platform with messages of empowerment, leadership, fearlessness, and unity among women—specifically, young women of color," the festival wrote on their website. "She has gone on to achieve unprecedented success across multiple industries and continues to be a shining example of black excellence."
Latifah joins an already stacked festival lineup that includes Janet Jackson, the Roots, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Fantasia, Ledisi, Miguel, Daniel Caesar, and Big Freedia, among many others.
The festival will be held July 5–8 in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Tickets are available via the Essence website.
