Kanye West, Chris Rock, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Morris Day and The Time, and Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly to Headline the 2008 Essence Music Festival

Kanye West, Chris Rock, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Morris Day and The Time, and Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly to Headline the 2008 Essence Music Festival

Nation's Largest Annual Celebration of Black Music and Culture

The Ultimate Party Weekend July 4, 5, 6

NEW YORK, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Kanye West, Chris Rock, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Morris Day and The Time, and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly are the first acts to be announced to perform at the 2008 Essence Music Festival, it was disclosed today by Essence Communications Inc. As the nation's largest annual African-American event celebrating Black music and culture, the 2008 Essence Music Festival is destined to be the hottest music event of the summer!

"It brings me great joy to announce that the 2008 Essence Music Festival will feature another stellar line-up -- with Kanye West, Chris Rock, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Jill Scott, Morris Day and The Time, and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly joining us in New Orleans," said Michelle Ebanks, President, Essence Communications Inc. "This past year has been amazing for these talented performers and our audience will be thrilled to welcome them home for the ultimate Fourth of July weekend party."

Fresh from multiple Grammy wins this year, including "Best Rap Album," hip-hop superstar Kanye West will rock the Louisiana Superdome with hits from his latest chart-topping CD, "The Graduation." Combining non-stop music with comedy, the Essence Music Festival party will continue with a performance from renowned comedian Chris Rock, who hits the Festival stage for the first time in more than a decade.

Continuing to dominate the R&B charts with his extraordinary dance moves and boyish charm, Chris Brown is recognized as one of today's brightest stars and will perform for the third time at the Essence Music Festival. And, after wowing audiences in 2001 with her soulful, neo-soul hits like "Long Walk" and "Getting in the Way," Grammy award-winning singer Jill Scott will delight Festivalgoers with new releases from her latest album, "Real Thing". R&B and funk legends, Morris Day and The Time will get the crowd on its feet with old-school hits like "Walk" and "Jungle Love."

Back by popular demand after several show-stopping performances at the Essence Music Festival is Mary J. Blige who is sure to keep the crowd on its feet with her uplifting new party hit, "Just Fine." Blige has fast become a staple at the Festival, carrying on a tradition similar to the classic R&B supergroup Maze featuring Frankie Beverly who will close out the show, as they have since the event began in 1995.

Tickets for the evening concerts are on sale immediately at ticketmaster.com or (800) 488-5252. For updates on performers, hotel accommodations, ticket prices and weekly promotions log on to www.essence.com.

Known as the "party with a purpose," the Essence Music Festival is the nation's largest annual gathering of African-American musical talent; featuring an unprecedented three days of cultural celebrations and empowerment seminars and three nights of performances by some of today's greatest African- American artists.

The Essence Music Festival started in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine. Now the Festival has been heralded as one of the country's "Top 10 Leading Brand Events" in 2007 by Advertising Age; highlighted prominently among well-known consumer events such as NASCAR and Spring Break. The Essence Music Festival has featured a host of legendary performers over the years, including Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Chaka Khan, Chris Brown, Destiny's Child, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Kanye West, The Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Mary J. Blige, The O'Jays, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams, to name a few.

The 2008 Essence Music Festival is executive produced by Essence Festivals LLC and produced by Rehage Entertainment. Essence Festivals LLC is a division of Essence Communications Inc. (ECI).

About Essence Communications Inc.:

Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the leading media and communications company dedicated to African-American women. With a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online, the Essence brand is "Where Black Women Come First". The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, Women Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit, Window on Our Women (WOW I & II) and Smart Beauty I, II & III consumer insights, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD) via Essence Studios. For 37 years, ESSENCE magazine, which has a readership of 8.2 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information relating to every area of African-American women's lives.

Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at essence.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Essence Communications Inc.

CONTACT: Dana Baxter of ESSENCE, +1-212-522-1634, dbaxter@essence.com

Web site:

http://www.essence.com/
http://www.ticketmaster.com/

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