Evening Concert Series: Sunday, July 2
Caesars Superdome
Hosted by comedian and actor Janelle James and featuring guest DJ Spinderella
Events take place Thursday, June 29, through Monday, July 3, at the Caesars Superdome, Convention Center and other venues.
Megan Thee Stallion
Standing at 5’10,” the 28-year-old Texas-born rapper picked up the nickname “stallion” as a teen in reference to her tall stature. However, it wasn’t until around 2019 that Megan Thee Stallion became a household name, first with her undeniably catchy hit single “Hot Girl Summer” and then the TikTok dance anthem “Savage,” the latter of which she later remixed with Beyonce. She followed those up in August 2020 with the unforgettable “WAP” with Cardi B.
Riding that wave of success, Megan released three full-length albums — “Good News” in 2020, “Something for Thee Hotties” in 2021 and “Traumazine” in 2022 — and teased a new album earlier this year. Amid all the professional success, she also received her bachelor’s degree in health administration from Texas Southern University.
“Traumazine” is about dealing with trauma and its effects on the brain. Though young, she’s experienced several traumatic events: She lost her father when she was 15, her mother passed in 2019, and then her grandmother died shortly after. Megan also found herself in the midst of an assault trial against rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of three felonies on charges of shooting her in the feet last year.
By exploring these emotions publicly, Megan told The Cut last year she hopes people going through similar experiences feel less alone.
“It’s comforting to know that other people are going through the same thing that you might be feeling,” she said. “When something happens to people, they feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is only me. This is not normal, or I’m probably the only person in the world that feels like this.’” — Kaylee Poche
WizKid
Afrobeat artist WizKid may have been prophetic when he named his 2011 debut album “Superstar.” He was at least putting his goals into the universe. By 2023, the Nigerian singer-songwriter is just that: one of the world’s superstars.
Following his debut, WizKid quickly built to become one of Nigeria’s biggest musicians — driven by charismatic pop music merging hip-hop, dancehall and electronic dance elements — with tours in Europe and collaborations with Femi Kuti, Akon and Wale. And then Drake caught on.
Drake’s 2016 single “One Dance” introduced WizKid to an American audience, and the then 26-year-old singer took advantage of the spotlight. He signed with RCA Records and quickly released his third studio album “Sounds from the Other Side.” In the few years since, WizKid has worked with Beyonce — which led to his first Grammy Award — Major Lazer, H.E.R. and Justin Bieber, and has won several BET Awards, Billboard Music Awards and Soul Train Music Awards.
WizKid has kept up the heat with his 2020 release, “Made in Lagos,” which appeared on numerous end-of-the-year lists, and last year’s follow-up, “More Love, Less Ego.” — Jake Clapp
Essence Fest celebrates hip-hop’s 50th birthday with performances by Ice Cub, KRS-One, Mia X, Salt-N-Pepa and more.
Kizz Daniel
Nigerian Afrobeat singer-songwriter Kizz Daniel may not yet have the international audience his fellow countryman WizKid has found, but it could be just a matter of time.
Kizz Daniel made a splash in 2016 when his first album, “New Era,” debuted at No. 8 on Billboard’s World Album Chart, and later won album of the year at The Headies, an awards show organized by Nigerian publication Hip Hop World Magazine. In the years since, he’s released three albums, started his own label, Flyboy Inc., and worked with Diplo, WizKid and Davido. Last year, Kizz Daniel scored a viral hit with his song “Buga” when it sparked a TikTok dance challenge in West Africa.
Nigerian Afrobeat is a massive genre waiting to be explored by international audiences. And while some star musicians, like Drake, are bringing the genre to more ears, international collaborations can often be extractive — leaving behind a genre’s original artists while their art is appropriated (New Orleans bounce artists have some thoughts). Rather than international collaborations, Kizz Daniel said on Twitter last summer, Afrobeats needs more “international ears.” — Jake Clapp
Muni Long
Earlier this year, Muni Long was nominated for three Grammy Awards. Her latest album, “Public Displays of Affection: The Album,” had earned her a best new artist nomination, and her song “Hrs & Hrs” — a heartfelt, vibrant R&B ballad — was in the running for best R&B song as well as best R&B performance, which she ultimately walked away with.
It was a momentous moment for the 34-year-old singer-songwriter — a major milestone on a long, winding career path already marked with success.
In 2009, Muni Long released her debut album, “Jukebox,” under her given name, Priscilla Renea. But after its release, Long decided to tap into her songwriting talents and pivoted to writing music for other artists. The next near-decade saw her working with artists like Rihanna, Madonna, Kelly Rowland, Demi Lovato, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Curren$y and many others.
But after a few years, Long was attracted back to recording her own material and began working on what would become her 2018 album, “Coloured,” which combined Americana, soul, hip-hop and R&B sounds. The album was critically well-received.
Deciding to pivot again to explore new sounds, the singer-songwriter adopted the name Muni Long in 2019 and launched her own independent label, Supergiant Records. Her 2020 EP, “Black Like This” — a celebration of Blackness amid the tumult of 2020 — also debuted a new sound digging into progressive R&B and soul with some experimentation.
Long the following year signed with Def Jam Recordings and released the EPs “Public Displays of Affection” and “Public Displays of Affection Too.” And after her song “Hrs and Hrs” took off on TikTok, her two EPs were ultimately re-packaged as “The Album,” along with new tracks.
Long hasn’t yet spoken about what’s on the horizon, but given her ability to pivot, expect her to do whatever the hell she wants. — Jake Clapp
Lauryn Hill, Janelle Monae, Ari Lennox, Juvenile and more perform in the Caesars Superdome.
Missy Elliott, Jill Scott, Monica and Coco Jones play the Caesars Superdome on July 1.
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