Essence Festival Features Popular Headliners Friday Night
This Fourth of July weekend, the annual Essence Festival of Culture will return to the Big Easy as one of the country's largest celebrations of Black culture music and community.
On July 3 at the New Orleans' Caesars Superdome, there will be performances from several popular performers and contemporary artists to kick off this year's 2026 event.
Cardi B
A Bronx, NY, native, Cardi B is a highly influential American rapper, singer, and media personality who rose to fame through social media and VH1's Love & Hip Hop. Now, she has broken historic records as a solo female rap artist.
While she is widely recognized for her energetic rap flow and unfiltered lyrics, she is also the female rapper with the most number-one singles, holding a record of five of the Billboard Hot 100. Invasion of Privacy, her debut studio album from 2018, made her the only female artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album as a solo act.
She is known globally for her singles "Bodak Yellow," "I Like It," and "WAP" in collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion.
Cardi B has also made a significant impact on fashion, where she can often be seen sitting front row at Paris Fashion Week and becoming the face of major luxury brands such as Balenciaga.
Latto
Grammy-nominated American rapper and singer Latto was born in Atlanta, GA. She gained fame by winning Lifetime's The Rap Game in 2016. She is widely known for her hit "Big Energy" from 2021, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2019, her breakthrough single "Bitch From Da Souf" went multi-platinum.
She has also collaborated with major artists such as Cardi B with "Put It On Da Floor Again," as well as Megan Thee Stallion. Latto earned a No. 1 hit globally when she was featured on Jung Kook's single "Seven."
Latto is also known to be in a long-term relationship with rapper 21 Savage, and they are have their first child together.
Kehlani
Born and raised in Oakland, CA, Kehlani is known for their R&B vocals and raw, authentic lyricism as a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and dancer. They rose to frame as a teenager on America's Got Talent with the pop group PopLyfe.
Since then, they have built a massive solo career including their widespread acclaimed mix tapes Cloud 19 and You Should Be Here, which earned them their first Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Kehlani has also released major studio albums including SweetSexySavage from 2017, It Was Good Until It Wasn't in 2020, Blue Water Road in 2022, and Crash in 2024. Although primarily a contemporary R&B artists, they frequently experiment with pop, hip-hop, and other genres.
Kehlani also serves as an inspiration to those navigating gender identity, motherhood, mental health, and the music industry.
SZN4
SZN4 is a four-person vocal group that was formed on the Netflix reality music competition series called Building the Band. Cameron Goode, Katie Roeder, Aaliyah Rose, and Donzell Taggart became widely known as the only mixed-gender group on the show, which captivated judges such as Nichole Scherzinger and reached the season finale.
SZN4 quickly came together in their audio-only booths and built a strong vocal chemistry throughout the series. They finished as the runner-up to the all-girl group 3Quency in the show but continue to release music together. The group went viral for their cover of Rap'N'Bone Man's "Human" and Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows." SZN4 has continued their music career, releasing projects such as the album Private Show.
