Photo by Nagashia Jackson for rolling out
There were surprises throughout the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture, and on the last night, fans got a huge surprise.
While celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, artists of the old and new school performed classics and rocked the crowd, and on the final day, New Orleans’ native son, Lil Wayne, came out as a surprise guest wearing an all-pink sweatsuit with high-top pink sneakers.
Wayne has been an influential part of hip-hop throughout his career, starting out as a teenager with Birdman’s Cash Money Records, and blossoming into one of the best rappers of this generation. Wayne performed many of his hit songs, including “A Milli,” “Lollipop,” “Rich as F—,” “Comfortable,” “Let the Beat Build” and “6 Foot 7 Foot.”
