After clips from of her ESSENCE Festival 2025 performance that ended at nearly 4 a.m. went viral, ESSENCE came to the defense of the hip-hop veteran Ms. Lauryn Hill.
Though Hill developed a reputation for arriving unforgivably late to her shows over the years, ESSENCE accepted the blame for the 2:35 a.m. start time of her headlining set on July 4.
“Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say,” the statement said. “Let’s be very clear— WE don’t play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines. She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can. The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched.”
In related news, R&B songstress Stephanie Mills issued an “Open Letter to ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2025.”
“While I remain grateful for the opportunity to have participated, my overall experience was unfortunately marred by significant production issues that negatively impacted both my performance and the artist experience as a whole,” Mills wrote in a statement she posted on social media. She also pointed to a lack of scheduling and time management as well as “logistical issues,” and sound system technical difficulties that were “deeply problematic.”
Look, nobody should be coming on stage that late. Essence can take the blame, but I am suspect. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Essentially, you need to recapture the culture you had. I was there, and I could feel the difference. Leadership is so important.