Essence Festival lineup 2011

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Essence Festival lineup 2011

Essence Festival lineup 2011

George Clinton will clearly bring the funk--along with Parliament Funkadelic and those famous colored dreadlocks--when he takes the stage at Essence.

The Soul Rebels Brass Band is comprised of several members who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina, making their inclusion on the Essence ticket particularly meaningful.

Considered a Godmother of R&B, Mary J. Blige has been bringing us the 411 for years. She's supposed to be releasing a new album this year, so expect a mix of new songs and old hits like "No More Drama."

Boyz II Men was one of the biggest R&B acts of the '90s, and the idea of seeing them onstage together again makes us a little giddy. We're especially jazzed to hear "On Bended Knee" and "Motown Philly."

"American Idol" alum Fantasia is back on the road after a suicide attempt last year. We're excited to hear her belt out "I Believe" and "When I See You."

Mavis Staples' most recent album was produced by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy--is it too much to hope he might show up for a duet?

Cherrelle hit her stride in the 1980s with hits like "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" and "Saturday Love," a duet with Alexander O'Neal, who she'll perform with at the Essence Festival.

Arguably the best-known brass band out of New Orleans, the Rebirth Brass Band got a boost in attention when they appeared on the HBO series "Treme."

Coming off an appearance on Kanye West's hit album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," Dwele is a respected artist in his own right, releasing four albums and appearing on several other performers' albums.

Known for her distinctively gravely voice, Macy Gray has detoured into acting with roles in "For Colored Girls" and "Idlewild," but she reaffirmed her commitment to music in 2010 with the release of her fifth album. We're still suckers for her hit, "I Try."

Trey Songz delivered an impressive set at last year's Essence Fest, so it's no surprise they asked the R&B star--who released his fourth album in 2010--back again.

R&B artist Tank has released four solo albums, but we're hoping Ginuwine and Tyrese, his bandmates in TGT, might show up to provide backup.

Known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas is a staple of the southern R&B and soul circuit.

The lead vocalist for the Gap Band (of "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" fame), Charlie Wilson--known as the father of new jack swing--has played the Essence Festival several times.

Mint Condition--led by singer Stokley Williams--was formed in the 1980s and hit their peak in the 90s with several hits on the R&B charts, including "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" The band is reportedly releasing a new album in 2011.

Kanye West needs no introduction--the rapper/producer is omnipresent, and, despite his flap with Taylor Swift at last year's MTV Video Music Award's, he scored a hit with his recent release, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."

Stephanie Mills made a name for herself with her role as Dorothy in the 1975 musical "The Wiz." Since then, she's done more on-stage acting and released several albums.

Jill Scott has made a successful foray into acting of late, with roles in Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?" and "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," but she's still a respected figure on the neo-soul scene and is planning to release an album this year.

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George Clinton will clearly bring the funk--along with Parliament Funkadelic and those famous colored dreadlocks--when he takes the stage at Essence.

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