Essence 2024 was a trip, both good and bad. It was wonderful seeing so many Black people together enjoying themselves. Most of the people you passed in the street would smile, speak, or acknowledge your presence in some way, although others held their noses high in the air and diverted their eyes as they glided by. This was my first time at the Essence Festival, and getting into the convention center felt a bit chaotic. The young woman at the door helped me to download my admission ticket, and once inside, there was no map or schedule of events that I saw, so I followed the herd and stood in line to receive free bags and products. After an hour or so, I left the convention center, never to return. I admit that I did not check the Essence website for a schedule because when I did so weeks earlier, the site was not updated. I mistakenly thought a schedule would be available on-site.
However, my trip to New Orleans was full of tours and things I had not been able to do on prior trips. But, back to the Essence Festival. I had tickets for all three nights of the concert. The first night was a celebration of Hip Hop, which I missed because of the storm that rolled through the city that night. I attended the other two nights. I cannot speak on the Hip Hop night other than to say that Hip Hop as it stands today is not a cultural representation of African Americans. The tradition of traveling storytellers, poets, and musicians of the griots from which hip hop derived has long been corrupted. Most commercially successful hip-hop artists portray Blacks as sexually promiscuous and materialistic. Hip-hop has become a one-dimensional art form with predictable messaging that has young women walking around with half their ass-cheeks hanging out as they imitate female recording artists. While our young men are willing to rob, kill, and throw away their lives in pursuit of an unrealistic lifestyle depicted in ridiculous videos.
Essence’s motto for 2024 was “We Love Us.” So, in that spirit, and because I love us enough to tell us the truth, we have to open our eyes to the truth. Record Producers, Social Media, Mainstream Media, Publishing Industries, etc., should not be the ones telling us what our culture is. Essence, please be mindful of the artists you book and ensure they align with your messaging of “We Love Us.” Victoria Monet sang about “Licking a D_ and having a Supersonic P_ _ and moments later told the women to love themselves as her dancers wore shorts that didn’t cover the lower half of their ass. Usher’s performance, with the large cross hanging in the background, stained glass windows, a gospel choir, and an exotic dancer, felt demonic.
I left Essence Festival wondering what was celebrated. I went there looking for a unifying cord that would give me hope—hope that we have not lost our way, hope that we could stop assimilating and show up as ourselves.
Let us not forget the definition of culture, which is the art and other demonstrations of a people's intellectual achievement.
Yes there were some negative aspects of Essence 2024 but there was also a lot of good. Being able to be in a group (small or large) of African American women was amazing. I was able to connect with so many African American people who were bringing the health and education messages to our people. The gospel fest was an uplifting event. The music and the sermons were so encouraging. I met so many African American vendors of many types of products and connected with a few YouTube creators who were really passing along the message of self love. I also was able to view a state that helped create my Father and his family. Yes there was nega…