This year's ESSENCE Fest Weekend was one to remember. On July 2 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, McDonald's held an invite-only #BounceBrunch event, and we're still thinking about how lit it was.

The intro to "The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug" began playing and it felt like the room was holding its breath. Though this wasn't the first time Digable Planets rejoined forces after splitting in 1995, those opening horns marked the first time many were seeing them perform in years — which was easy to forget.

In between live sets, press conferences and visiting booths in the NOLA Convention Center, we found time to check out the new artists roaming around the 2016 ESSENCE Festival. For this week’s five-track selection, we rounded up videos by the noteworthy up-and-comers we had the chance to see. Get acquainted below.   BJ The Chicago Kid – “Turnin Me Up” (Live) BJ The […]

The producer believes that a core competency in technology is essential to success in today's world. We chatted briefly with Packer at the 2016 ESSENCE Festival this weekend to talk about his involvement and why he's excited to be a part of it.