Video

Roland Martin and NewsOne Now were on hand to capture the sights and sounds of this year's Essence Festival.

The intro to "The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug" began playing and it felt like the room was holding its breath. Though this wasn't the first time Digable Planets rejoined forces after splitting in 1995, those opening horns marked the first time many were seeing them perform in years — which was easy to forget.

In between live sets, press conferences and visiting booths in the NOLA Convention Center, we found time to check out the new artists roaming around the 2016 ESSENCE Festival. For this week’s five-track selection, we rounded up videos by the noteworthy up-and-comers we had the chance to see. Get acquainted below.   BJ The Chicago Kid – “Turnin Me Up” (Live) BJ The […]

ESSENCE Festival 2016 is finally upon us, and with festivities just hours away, ESSENCE has announced they will celebrate the life of Prince with a New Orleans-themed tribute on Sunday (July 3).