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Home · 2017 ESSENCE Festival

Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn't Know Headlined Essence Festival 

Did you know these amazing artists have graced the ESSENCE Festival main stage?
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
OttoKrause/Cristina Coppin
By Rachaell Davis · Updated October 26, 2020

The 2017 ESSENCE Festival is fast approaching and we’ve got plenty in store to make this year’s experience one you won’t soon forget.

ESSENCE Festival 2017 ticket packages are on sale now! For more info about tickets, accommodations and the latest news, visit our Festival page here.

But don’t get it twisted, we’re not new to this! 

So while you grab your tickets and assemble your squad to get in formation for this year’s extravaganza, here’s a look back at the many music icons who have blessed the ESSENCE Festival stage over the last 23 years.

 

01
Essence Festival
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival

OttoKrause/Cristina Coppin

02
Prince
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
03
Destiny’s Child
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Erik Umphery/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment
04
Kanye West
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
05
Patti LaBelle
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
06
2008: A Badgal On The Rise Brings The House Down
When Rihanna hit the ESSENCE Festival stage in 2008, she was in the early pahse of becoming the global superstar she is today. Her single, ‘Take A Bow’ was at the top of the charts and her 2007 album, Good Girl Gone Bad, had solidified her as a young woman whose inspiring rise would only continue.
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Skip Bolen/Getty Images
07
Gerald Levert
Gerald Levert performed at ESSENCE Festival in 1995, 1999, 2002 and 2003.
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Getty Images
08
Lauryn Hill
The incomparable L Boogie first graced the ESSENCE Festival stages alongside her Fugees group members in 1996, before later returning to headline the Festival as a solo act in 1999.
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
09
The Temptations
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
10
Aaliyah
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
11
Ludacris

Ludacris was awarded the key to Atlanta for his philanthropy and dedication to the city. 

Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
12
Gladys Knight
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Aaron J. / RedCarpetImages.net
13
Strawberry, Jackson’s sexy alter ego

Move over, Sasha Fierce! After Damita Jo was released, Janet Jackson revealed two alter egos: Damita Jo and Strawberry. In 2004, Jackson described Strawberry to Blender magazine as “the most sexual of them all, the wildest.”

Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
14
Boyz II Men
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
15
Alicia Keys
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
16
The O’Jays
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
David Becker/Getty Images for Nu-Opp, Inc
17
Fantasia
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Ethan Miller/BET/Getty Images for BET
18
BB King

The late blues icon was given the keys to Cleveland in 1968.

Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Jordi Vidal/Redferns
19
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Getty
20
Earth, Wind and Fire
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Andrew Goetz
21
Erykah Badu
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
22
Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross played ESSENCE Fest in 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002.
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
23
En Vogue
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
24
New Edition
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
25
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Getty Images
26
Maxwell
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Johnny Nunez
27
Chris Brown
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
28
Kirk Franklin
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Michael Rowe
29
Usher
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
30
Yolanda Adams

Gospel singer Yolanda Adams has won a total of four Grammys, including Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for her album, Mountain High…Valley Low.

Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
31
Brian McKnight
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Getty Images
32
Smokey Robinson
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Mark Davis/BET/Getty Images for BET
33
LL Cool J
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Getty Images
34
Mary J. Blige
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
35
Dru Hill
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
36
Babyface
Live From the Superdome: The 2016 Essence Festival
Johnny Nunez
37
Mariah Carey
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Michael Rowe Photography
38
Al Green
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Getty Image
39
Beyoncé
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Getty/Kevin Mazur
40
Mase
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
startraksphoto.com
41
Brandy

Brandy Norwood aka Brandy performs onstage during the 6th Annual Black Women In Music event held at Avalon in Hollywood, California.

Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Michael Tran/Getty Images
42
Lionel Richie
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Tony Woolliscroft
43
Salt n Pepa
Star Gazing 10.20.16
Getty Images
44
Donnie McClurkin
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Rick Diamond/Getty Imagesfor Dove Awards
45
Common
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
getty images
46
The Isley Brothers
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Stephen J. Cohen
47
Missy Elliott
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
48
Faith Evans
Faith Evans performing the Main Stage at Essence Festival 2016
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for 2016 Essence Festival
49
Kendrick Lamar

Lamar was awarded the key to Compton by the town’s mayor Aja Brown.

Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
50
Diddy
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Larry French/Getty Images for Live Nation
51
Monica

Monica performs at ‘Christmas In The City’ Concert at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Photo by Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images
52
112
Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Patti LaBelle, Aaliyah & 46 Other Icons You Didn’t Know Headlined Essence Festival
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation
TOPICS:  Beyonce Knowles Janet Jackson
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