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20th Anniversary ESSENCE Festival Performers Announced

2014 essence festival

R&B singers will take over New Orleans from July 3-6, 2014 at the 20th Anniversary ESSENCE Festival. The official line-up of performers have been announced.

This year’s performers will include Prince (headlining act), Lionel Richie, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Charlie Wilson, 112, Elle Varner, Leela James, Marsha Ambrosius, PJ Morton, Raheem DeVaughn, Robert Glasper, Sebastian Mikael, Sevyn Streeter and more to be announced.

Last year, the ESSENCE Festival saw record-breaking numbers as fans spent the Fourth of July weekend enjoying the annual event’s mix of exciting newcomers and cherished Festival favorites.

For more information about the ESSENCE Festival, please visit www.essencefestival.com.

Keithan is the founder/editor-in-chief of Rated R&B

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Lauryn Hill Announces ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ 20th Anniversary Tour Dates

Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

In 1998, Lauryn Hill captivated the world with the release of her groundbreaking debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. She plans to relive its powerful message on the road this summer with 20th-anniversary concert dates.

L Boogie will tour the states starting on July 5 at the Veterans United Homes Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach. From there, Hill will perform in major cities, including Boston, Toronto, Miami, Atlanta, San Diego and Irving. Hill will end the tour in St. Louis, MO at Chaifetz Arena on October 5.

Hill paid tribute to Nina Simone who will be inducted into the 33rd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in June. She sang a melody of Simone’s notable records including “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,” I Put a Spell on You,” “Feeling Good” and more. We can watch the entire ceremony on May 5th at 8 p.m. on HBO.

MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR DATES.

July 5 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
July 8 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
July 11 – Boston, MA @Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
July 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Festival Pier Penn’s Landing
July 15 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health Jones Beach Theater
July 18 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
July 20 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
July 25 – Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 26 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
July 29 – Saint Petersburg, FL @ Al Lang Stadium
July 31 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Miami
Aug. 2 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place
Aug. 3 – Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Aug. 5 – Nashville, TN @ Metro Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Aug. 8 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sep. 7 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Sep. 9 – San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Sep. 12 – Portland, OR @ Rose Quarter
Sep. 14 – Burnaby, BC @ Deer Lake
Sep. 15 – Kent, WA @ accesso ShoWare Center
Sep. 20 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sep. 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre
Sep. 24 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
Sep. 26 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
Sep. 29 – Sugar Land, TX @ Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Sep. 30 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Oct. 3 – New Orleans, LA @ UNO Lakefront Arena
Oct. 5 – St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz Arena

Beyoncé Extends HBCU Scholarship for Second Year

Photo Credt: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Beyoncé continues schoolin’ life. After saluting historical black marching bands during her history-making Coachella performance on Saturday, the mother-of-three has extended her BeyGOOD Initiative’s Homecoming Scholars Award program (previously named Formation Scholars Award program) for a second year.

The program will award $25,000 to one student from Historically Black Universities and Colleges: Xavier University, Wilberforce University, Tuskegee University and Bethune-Cookman University for the 2018-2019 school year.

Ivy McGregor, Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations at Parkwood Entertainment, which houses BeyGOOD, shared, “We salute the rich legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “We honor all institutions of higher learning for maintaining culture and creating environments for optimal learning which expands dreams and the seas of possibilities for students.”

Beyoncé launched the scholarship program in April 2017 to celebrate the one-year anniversary of 2016’s Lemonade, her second visual album. This year’s award program is open to all qualifying students at the four universities. The attached disciplines will include literature, creative arts, African-American studies, science, education, business, communications, social sciences, computer science and engineering. All applicants must maintain a 3.5 GPA or above. The universities will determine the finalists and winners, with receivers announced this summer.

Ro James and BJ The Chicago Kid Announce ‘The R&B Tour’

Ro James and BJ The Chicago Kid are teaming up to go on tour. The R&B middleweights have announced their R&B Tour, which will kick off on May 15 at The Loft in Atlanta. The tour will also make stops in D.C., Baltimore, New York and Chicago, before wrapping up on May 27 at Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Both Ro and BJ will perform some of their old material, as well as new material from their respective upcoming projects. In March, Ro dropped his four-track Smoke EP and plans to release the follow-up, Mirrors, later this spring. Meanwhile, BJ is gearing up to release his new album on April 27 via Motown Records. It will follow his 2016 debut album, In My Mind. 

Along with the announcement of The R&B Tour, the two gents have released their cover of Jodeci’s classic hit “Come and Talk to Me” as a special treat for fans.

Ro James and BJ The Chicago Kid’s The R&B Tour Dates
May 15 — Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
May 16 — Washington, D.C. @ U Street Music Hall
May 17 — Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
May 18 — Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
May 20 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
May 21 — Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
May 23 — Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
May 24 — Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
May 27 — Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour

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