ESSENCE Festival Accepts Responsibility for Ms. Lauryn Hill’s Late Set

ESSENCE Festival accepts responsibility for Ms. Lauryn Hill’s late set

After clips from of her ESSENCE Festival 2025 performance that ended at nearly 4 a.m. went viral, ESSENCE came to the defense of the hip-hop veteran Ms. Lauryn Hill. Though Hill developed a reputation for arriving unforgivably late to her shows over the years, ESSENCE accepted the blame for the 2:35 a.m. start time of her headlining set on July 4.  “Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say,” the s…

Lauryn Hill Speaks Out Against 'Misconception' After Delayed Essence ...

Lauryn Hill performs to near-empty stadium after starting set two hours late

Organisers behind New Orleans' Essence Festival have defended the Fugees star, insisting she "arrived on schedule"Continue reading...

Lauryn Hill slams essence fest for blaming her

Grammy-winner Lauryn Hill chipped in this week when her headline set at the Essence Festival in New Orleans was almost two hours late. She was to take the stage at 12:35 a.m. but she did not start until about 2:30 a.m. at the Caesars Superdome. The festival organizers later took the blame but Hill was not finished with the fallout. In a long Instagram post, Hill denied the rumors that she walked in mysteriously late. She wrote that she was not t…

BLK ALERTS - Essence Ventures CEO Caroline Wanga responds amid online scrutiny of the 2025 Essence Fest

Chief Executive Officer, ESSENCE Caroline A. Wanga speaks onstage during the 2022 15th Annual ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards Luncheonat Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on March 24, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for ESSENCE) Caroline Wanga responds after discourse around the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture reaches a fever pitch.  Amid widespread online scrutiny following the 2025 Essen…

Essence Fest Controversy, Caroline Wanga, and the Crisis of Black Trust

This summer, Essence Festival—once heralded as the crown jewel of Black cultural celebration—has become the eye of a storm. For three decades, it’s been the rare institution that blends joy and politics, wellness and worship, celebrity and community. But this year, something cracked. And it’s not just the festival that’s under scrutiny—it’s the infrastructure of Black trust itself. Online, the criticisms have reached a fever pitch. Artists arriv…