It won’t be any everyday party when Everyday People hosts the ESSENCE Day Party series during the 2016 ESSENCE Festival. The parties will be rocking July 1-3 from 1-5 p.m. at the Sugar Mill in New Orleans. We asked the DJs who will be spinning—Moma (July 1 & 3), Rich Knight (July 1 & 3), and Jasmine Solano & Melo X (July 2)—to gve us their hot picks for the song of the summer. Here’s what they had to say:
MOMA PICKS:
“One Dance” by Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla
“One Dance” is the song of the summer because (a) it’s an undeniable smash hit and (b) it combines elements of dancehall, Afrobeat, R&B, hip-hop, dance music and pop music. And it combines them well, which is no easy feat! As a DJ, I love it because it invariably works on the dance floor, but as a music lover, I love it even more because it is exposing the world to the sounds of the African continent and the diaspora as a whole. From Lagos to Toronto to Kingston to Brooklyn, “One Dance” has become a worldwide hit unifying all dance floors.
RICH KNIGHT PICKS:
“Like This” by DJ Henry X featuring Wizkid
To be a contender for song of summer 2016, the song has to make you feel good and make you want to dance uncontrollably. With the successes of Drake’s “Controlla” featuring Popcaan, Rihanna’s “Work” featuring Drake and Drake’s “One Dance” featuring Wizkid and Kyla, there’s no doubt that dancehall and Afrobeat are the waves to ride. That said, my pick for this summer is “Like This” by Nigeria’s DJ Henry X featuring Africa’s biggest star, Wizkid. What I love most about this song and what made the songs that I mentioned earlier successful is that they simply make guys and girls want to dance with each other again. They scream sex. You don’t want to be dancing alone when they come on at a party, and you’ll definitely remember who you were dancing with long after the party is over. There’s a 100 percent chance I’ll be playing “Like This” at all of my sets for summer 2016.
JASMINE SOLANO & MELO X PICK:
“Your Number” (remix) by Ayo Jay featuring Fetty Wap
Up-and-coming Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayo Jay has been making his name on the U.S. scene since the release of “Think About Me” and “Gimme Kiss.” For his latest single, “Your Number” (remix), Ayo Jay has enlisted New Jersey rapper Fetty Wap. Not only did we feature this song on our annual Electric Punanny Mixtape series, but it will definitely be the song of summer filled with sunny ad-libs and dance vibes. Take our word for it!
Buy your tickets to the ESSENCE Day Party Series and the 2016 ESSENCE Festival now!