ESSENCE Fest DJ D-Nice Takes Us Inside Dave Chapelle's Epic All-Star Weekend Bash With Chadwick Boseman, Chris Tucker & More

Rachaell Davis Feb, 22, 2018

Black Panther mania is continuing to skyrocket following the historic movie theater debut of the blockbuster film and 2018 ESSENCE Festival DJ D-Nice is just as much of a Wakanda enthusiast as the rest of us.

ESSENCE Festival 2018 ticket packages are on sale now! For more info and the latest news, visit our Festival page HERE.

The Bronx-born entertainer, whose career in the industry spans over 20 years, recently took to social media to give fans a quick glimpse into some of the All-Star Weekend festivities and gigs that made his experience one to remember.

Thank you, Los Angeles! #NBAallstarweekend was a great. I had gigs with Dave Chappelle, @FredYonnet, BMW, Def Jam, Spaulding, Allen Iverson, BET, and more! Now, I’m en route to #NYC! #HomewardBound Godspeed! #BrandNice #DNiceASW2018

A post shared by D-Nice (@djdnice) on Feb 19, 2018 at 4:48pm PST

The most magical moment of the weekend for D-Nice came when he was djing a party thrown by Dave Chappelle and Netflix to celebrate the release of fellow comedic icon Chris Rock’s comedy special, Tambourine. In short, by the end of the star-studded event, everyone from Stevie Wonder, to Common, to Chris Tucker, to T’Challa himself (aka Chadwick Boseman) had graced the stage. Hear all the details about the epic night as told by D-Nice on his Instagram page, below.

There are times when I find it completely mind blowing that DJing has provided me with some amazing memories. I had that thought again on Sunday night in Los Angeles after the NBA All-star game. Dave Chappelle & @Netflix threw a party for @ChrisRock to celebrate the release of his comedy special, “#Tambourine.” I was lucky enough to provide the soundtrack to the night. People, please believe me when I say this, Dave Chappelle’s parties are the most soulful events I’ve ever played. The constant interaction between me, @FredYonnet and The Band With No Name makes the night so much fun and unpredictable. You’ll never know who will join the band on stage. Sunday night’s surprise and completely spontaneous performers were @Usher, @Common, @Ludacris, @RobertGlasper, Thundercat, and @Goapele. It was a jam session! There were so many incredible moments from the night. At one point, Chris Tucker was standing next to me in the DJ booth. He was so caught up in the spirit of the night and wanted to perform too. He asked me which Michael Jackson song he should perform and I suggested, “I Can’t Help It.” He replied, “That’s it!” He ran over to the stage. After Dave introduced him, he told a joke and said, “Dave I wanna perform too. D-Nice, drop the record, man.” As I spun MJ’s song, Fred and the band quickly picked up on it and started to jam. As I faded the song, Chris started to sing. By the time he reached the second chorus, Fred secretly handed Stevie Wonder his mic and Stevie, who actually wrote the song, started performing it with Chris Tucker. What a night! The second moment that stood out was when Dave said, “Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for the Black Panther.” While his movie was breaking box office records, @chadwickboseman was partying with us. Now, that’s a party. Thank you @carla_sims and #TeamChappelle for another great event. #aNiceLife #BrandNice #dnicephotography 🙅🏽‍♂️ #WakandaForever

A post shared by D-Nice (@djdnice) on Feb 20, 2018 at 8:05am PST

Oh, what a night!

Be sure to grab your tickets HERE to see DJ D-Nice bring the party to the stage at the 2018 ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans this July.