PRNewswire/ — The annual ESSENCE Festival, now among the largest consumer live events in the country with more than 550,000 attendees, today revealed the first round of its all-star line-up of performers for the nighttime concerts at the 21st annual celebration, taking place in New Orleans, LA, from July 2-5.

“On the heels of the ESSENCE Festival’s epic 20th anniversary celebration in 2014, we’re delighted to announce a selection of the best artists and biggest names in entertainment who will take the stage at the Superdome this summer,’ said Essence President Michelle Ebanks. “From first-time Festival performer Kendrick Lamar to return appearances from fan favorites like Kevin Hart, Common and Mary J. Blige, the ESSENCE Festival offers the definitive entertainment and cultural experience for our passionate ESSENCE community every Fourth of July weekend.”

Artists confirmed to perform at the 2015 ESSENCE Festival nighttime concerts at the Superdome include:

Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige, India.Arie, Trombone Shorty, Floetry, Common, Erykah Badu, Kool Moe Dee, Doug E. Fresh, Mystikal, Slick Rick, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Nico & Vinz, Lianne La Havas, Elle Varner, Esperanza Spalding, SZA, Dee-1, Tonya Bond Cannon, Leon Bridges, Andra Day, Kelly Price, Raheem DeVaughn, Mali Music, Eric Roberson, Teedra Moses, Avery*Sunshine, Kindred The Family Soul, Goapele, Robert Glasper, Tweet, Jeff Bradshaw, Bilal, Tank & The Bangas and more to be announced soon.
Plus Kevin Hart to headline Essence ‘Now Playing’ Concert, Thursday, July 2. Tickets go on-sale Wednesday, February 25.
Comedians Nephew Tommy from The Steve Harvey Morning Show and Luenell to host Festival weekend.
For information about ticket sales, accommodations and the latest news about the ESSENCE FESTIVAL, visit ESSENCE Festival www.essencefestival.com, join the Festival community: follow us on Twitter @essencefest #EssenceFest and become a fan of 2015 ESSENCE Festival on Facebook.

The 2015 ESSENCE FESTIVAL™ is executive produced by ESSENCE Festivals LLC, a division of ESSENCE Communications Inc. (ECI), and produced by Solomon Group. GeChar is the executive producer of the 2015 ESSENCE Empowerment Experience and Empower U.

Sponsors of the 2015 ESSENCE Festival include presenting sponsor Coca-Cola and major sponsors Ford, My Black Is Beautiful, and Verizon.

Often… we hear of the DJ that raps… or the producer that can rock the mic… But how about a world renown illustrator… Recently I caught up with SKAM2? to discuss his upcoming Hip Hop album…

Many know you for your incredible artwork… What would you like fans to know about you as a hip hop artist?
SKAM2? – Hard to say off rip, but I do put a premium on showing my range and versatility.

I have to ask… what is your most popular or recognizable art work?
SKAM2? – More than likely, the screaming vicodin pill from Eminem’s “Slim Shady LP” disc. That album sold well over 12.5 million copies worldwide. Not to mention, I’ve seen a lot of tattoos and other people’s drawings of it online.

Who inspired you mostly in Hip Hop?
SKAM2? – No one person. I draw vibes and ideas from a lot of things. Movies, books, video games, you name it. My music library has a whole lot of everything in it. Seriously.

What can the world expect from the SKAM2? Album?
SKAM2? – Every project will serve a different purpose, so don’t expect anything. Roll the dice and hate me for that 45 minutes of your life that you will never get back.

What did it mean for you representing at J-Dilla weekend in Miami?
SKAM2? – It was definitely good vibes out there. People coming out to just to have a good time and enjoy some music. Ain’t too many things better than getting to rock out with your homies.

How did the title for the album come about?
SKAM2? – Flying Monkey Murder Cirkus came from some lines in a freestyle I had called Super Random. I think I said something like “Them flying monkeys gon’ murk me” and I was trying to design cover art for it and it came to me while going through reference for the cover art.

Why “Definition” for the first single?
SKAM2? – I got a lot of strong reactions on it. I like all the records that I choose to release, so there isn’t much of a struggle for me when it comes to going where the vibe takes me. If that’s what they want, f*ck it, that’s what they get!

Who did you work with from a production standpoint on the album?
SKAM2? – Myself, Produced By Infamous (Lil Wayne, Drake), Kevin Rudolf (Selena Gomez, Timbaland), The Guild, MiamiBeatWave

This is more of a two part question… What is your opinion of the current state of hip hop? and where would you like to see it go from here?
SKAM2? – Current state… meh. I hear good. I hear bad. But in general, on this side of the pond, a lot of things outside of the actual “music” are pretty screwy. I’m so bombarded with what I’m doing that I really have no thoughts on where it should go. But I would like to see more acknowledgement & accolades given to those who show actual aptitude and innovation towards the craft.. but I feel like that about every form of art.

Much respect to SKAM2?

Check out the video for the lead single “Definition” off the upcoming ” Flying Monkey Murder Cirkus”

International entertainment superstar Trey Songz has partnered with founder and CEO of SX Liquors David Knight to launch the brand nationwide. Currently one of the top R&B artists in the world with his latest album Tirgga debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling over 3M albums, 12M singles and 100M streams, Trey Songz continues to grow his global footprint around the world. His social media reach continues to grow each year, being in the 99th percentile for all artists. He currently has a collective social media outreach of more than 30M followers, creating over 700 million combined impressions. Songz is also managed by well-known Kevin Liles who has successfully aligned artists with products to help build a solid career footprint in his career.

Trey is excited about partnering with SX and will bringing the company’s wide range of liquor products to the media and consumers during his 2015 planned with a co-headlining 25 city US concert tour alongside Chris Brown, the “Between the Sheets Tour” and will be followed by a European tour with Nicki Minaj hitting the O2 Arena in London and the Zenith in Paris. On top of these two major tours, Trey plans to hit the road as a headliner late summer to promote the coming of his new album Tremaine at the end of the year.

Songz characterized this initiative as follows, “This is a seamless partnership focused on three key things; organic brand partnerships with overlapping demographic targets, strong and proven executive leadership and a product that tastes and looks amazing.”

Knight is similarly excited, “The combination of a great product and the right celebrity is a proven winner in the spirits category. The powerful duo of SX Liquors and Trey Songz with our unique focus on the sophisticated female consumer will be a big hit in 2015 and beyond”. Knight is a proven business leader who today is drawing upon his years of successful leadership and marketing experience to introduce SX’s sexy and exotic spirits to the world. For the past 25 years, Knight has grown and managed some of the globe’s most recognizable household brands. Known for his dogged determination, unflagging energy and contagious optimism, Knight has fully embraced the SX mission to produce premium spirits that deliver the ultimate taste experience.

SX Liquors offers a unique range of hand crafted small batch Tequilas, Rums and Vodkas. Gluten free, barrel aged and hand filled in hand blown and painted bottles, the SX line of products captures the essence of Jalisco, Mexico where it is produced. One of its 6 flavors called Cha Cha Cha is a honey tequila that is featured in the Trey “Slow Motion” video.

# # #

For more information, please visit:

http://www.sxliquors.com/