Chaka, Jennifer Hudson, Kem Join Essence Music Festival Lineup!

As you prepare your summer trip of entertainment, get ready as the 2011 Essence Music Festival will be one to look forward to!

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Grammy Award winners Chaka Khan and Jennifer Hudson are joining the 2011 lineup for the Essence Music Festival, which will be held over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in New Orleans. Festival officials said Tuesday they've also added Kem, Marcia Ambrosius, New Edition, Hal Linton, Eric Benet, Doug E. Fresh, Naughty By Nature and Vanessa Bell Armstrong to the roster of artists scheduled to perform in the Louisiana Superdome. Earlier, Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications Inc., announced a group of headliners for the festival, including Mary J. Blige, Trey Songz, Jill Scott and Kanye West. The event, now in its 17th year, started in 1995 to mark the 25th anniversary of Essence magazine and has since grown into a major national venue celebrating black culture and R&B music.

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via Chaka, Jennifer Hudson, Kem join Essence lineup - KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana.

This is probably going to be one of the biggest Essence Music Festival events yet, we'll give you more details as they become available.