One of the premier music festivals celebrating black culture and music is branching out, extending its footprint in its 18th year to embrace the next generation of artists while still trumpeting industry veterans such as Aretha Franklin.
The Essence Music Festival has added a fourth day to its concert series in New Orleans. On Thursday -- its opening day -- Essence will focus solely on youth, including rapper Diggy Simmons, the Disney Channel's Coco Jones, the OMG Girlz and New Orleans' own The Roots of Music.
Essence runs through Sunday with performances set for the Superdome.