Megan Thee Stallion closed out the 2023 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola and its celebration of 50 years of Hip-Hop during the nightly concert series with a hip-shaking, crowd-rocking performance.
After a night filled with appearances from pioneers in female-led Hip-Hop and a few surprises, the self-proclaimed H-Town hottie wasted no time jumping right into her beloved hits, courting crowd participation with her hit “HER” before launching into her Tina Snow era favorite “Freak Nasty” and her 3x platinum-selling single “Cash Sh*t.”
The crowd rapped along verbatim as Megan showed off impressive dance moves, flexibility, and knee-dexterity during performances of “Simon Says,” and “Big Ol Freak.”
“I love New Orleans,” Megan told the crowd to raucous applause. “I’m ready to eat! I’m ready to shake my a*s! I’m ready to turn up at the mother-f*ckin ESSENCE Festival!”
Reminding the audience that hot girl summer is indeed underway, Megan took a moment to address the ladies in the audience who were ready to “pop their sh*t” alongside her.
“We’re feeling ourselves, we’re loving ourselves, and just to let y’all n*ggas know, we don’t need y’all – we want y’all, but we don’t need y’all,” she said, before launching into her smash hit “Plan B.”
Of course, it’s not a Megan Thee Stallion affair without a moment for her fellow hot girls to shine. Toward the end of her headlining set, she plucked over 20 elated fans from the crowd to join her in a celebration of “body-ody-ody” for a showcase of their best bouncing skills.