Maxwell Dishes on His ESSENCE Festival Performance

[MUSIC] So congratulations on the performance last night. Thank you so much. I'm happy I got through it. It's great to be a part of the Essence process and story. I mean I told you about how I feel about the magazine. Absolutely. How it inspires so many people. People in the inner city, rural areas, to aspire to greater things than what the corner is showing them that they can be. And to be 43, and to be able to get this amazing honor. Being involved in this is my second cover. My first one was like 97 or 98. Yeah. So it's an honor to [INAUDIBLE] it's really good to share with Tom. It's great to be able to celebrate it with the base and be in New Orleans. A country. A city that has faced some serious obstacles. Absolutely. In a very same way as we have. Yeah. As people of color and overcome. Look Right. At it now, it's amazing. Yeah. And as this is keeping it alive and it was 20th anniversary of Maze. Frankie Beverly and Maze last year in Louisiana. Mazes, like, I mean they're just what they are. Yeah, yeah, they got. [LAUGH] It's basically like a ground that you walk on, this maze, and this energy of that and then it's also beautiful man. It's like, it's just great to be a part of this musical community and be recognized and to have recognition for it over these many years. So grateful.