As the old adage goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
After initially not being asked to participate in a 50th anniversary celebration of hip-hop music at this year’s Essence Festival, one of the Crescent City’s most famous and successful rappers expressed his dismay on social media.
And it appears the event’s organizers agreed with his assessment, so now multi-platinum star Juvenile will be performing as part of the special celebration.
Originally, only one New Orleans artist was announced as part of the 50th anniversary concerts. Mia X was billed as part of a night honoring women in hip-hop that also is set to include Missy Elliott, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion.
That led to a now-deleted tweet from Juvie that read, “How is essence doing 50 years of hip hop in New Orleans without me???”
“F that,” he added before promoting a different festival appearance. “Donna Fest July 2nd me w my live band +Mannie Fresh +Rebirth & more.”
In response, Essence Fest released their own social media statement after adding a Juvenile performance to their lineup.
“As we prepared to celebrate the cultural commemoration of 50 years of Hip-Hop at this year’s festival, we planned with intention around the integration of New Orleans & Louisiana artists and the musical heritage across several experiences,” the festival posted on Instagram.
“Whether it be the celebration of Hip-Hop femcees like New Orleans native, Mia X, who has previously been announced, or special surprise performances from local Hip-Hop artists that should not be missed, along with our all Crescent City musical line-up during our Family Day celebration, the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana will be well represented including Hip-Hop artist, Juvenile.”
Juvenile’s 1998 album 400 Degreez has been certified four times platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 4 million copies. The album features one of the Big Easy’s most well-known hip-hop songs, “Back That Azz Up” (released as “Back That Thang Up” for radio play), a #19 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time of its release.
In 2004, Juvenile hit #1 on the Hot 100 with the song “Slow Motion” featuring the late Soulja Slim. He is set to perform June 30 as part of Essence’s “Superdome Evening Concert Series.”
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