00:00Performing at Essence Festival is just really amazing because to be from New Orleans, this is a goal you have from the gate.
00:15I'm super excited and I'm actually like turned up and ready to go. Like I wish it was today.
00:21Hey, what's up y'all? I'm T.J. Moses and this is my course.
00:43So we're here in Jackson Square in French Quarter.
00:50I grew up coming here with family, coming here with school outings.
00:54Like if you've ever grown up in New Orleans, this was an outing for you at school.
00:58Probably once a year, probably twice a year. I grew up in a private school, all black school, we were kind of poor.
01:04So this is somewhere you could go and you just have to pack a lunch and take all the kids.
01:09But super cool place and as I got older, it became a really special place to me because the French Quarter is so full of music.
01:17And if you look around, it's people playing instruments, kids tap dancing. I mean, just so much culture.
01:24I want to get married right here at home in front of the St. Louis Cathedral.
01:33And that's why Jackson Square is important to me and French Quarter is important to me because really, really honestly, this is where my soul is.
01:45The Essence Festival is one of the festivals that really caters to the urban community.
01:52Since I was a kid, it was something that you looked forward to, you know.
01:57I applaud the Essence Music Festival for coming to New Orleans.
02:02I also applaud Essence Music Festival for not running when it got tough around Katrina, you know, consistently continuing to come.
02:09You can't do anything but be grateful for that. We appreciate it. We appreciate you, Essence.
02:16Growing up in a city like New Orleans is automatic. You're going to be around music.
02:29My mother was a gospel singer, so I had no choice but to be around music.
02:34I would be singing whatever was on the radio or making up my own song.
02:39My brothers and sisters used to yell at me, shut up, Tidra.
02:42I would be at the house with a brush and some nylons on my hair so my hair was really long.
02:47And I'd be swinging my hair in the mirror and I'd be singing.
02:49And this is what I did every single day.
02:53My mother, who I think had a feeling I was going to do something in the arts, she encouraged it.
02:58And the culture of New Orleans itself is soulful.
03:01That all has been a huge influence on me as an artist.
03:05When I was putting out my music, I was moving to L.A.
03:12And I took every bit of what I could with me from New Orleans.
03:16I was one of those people that didn't even want to change the way I speak
03:19because I wanted to be so, I wanted to remain so New Orleans.
03:26I love, love, love, love veignets.
03:29Anybody here knows me?
03:30Know you can find me in New Orleans with a powder face because I've been eating veignets.
03:33This experience of veignets, you cannot find them anyway.
03:36And honey, I have traveled the world.
03:38So you guys just hold tight for a second because now is about that time
03:42that I need to go and get my veignets and my coffee and do my traditional powder my face-up thing.
03:46I'm going to show you the rest of my city though.
03:48So just hold tight, okay?
03:50I got my veignets!
03:51Woo-hoo!
03:52Ah!
03:53This is a veignet.
03:54Mmm!
03:55Mmm!
03:56Mmm!
03:57It's so good!
04:01The best!
04:09This is a vignette.
04:16It's so good.
04:22The best.
04:30So hey y'all, we back and I'm here with my homegirl 3IT.
04:33And we're at the Music Exchange in New Orleans Record Store
04:36and I want to show you one of my favorite music stores
04:38in New Orleans on Magazine Street.
04:40So y'all come on.
04:51We are women that record ourselves a lot.
04:55We have our own little home rigs.
04:57I mean, we're independent artists.
04:59So this store is important because as you can see,
05:01you can purchase gear here.
05:03One of my special things is mics.
05:05Now T, what's your experience with Music Exchange?
05:08You know, it's been a staple in our community forever.
05:11It's also important to note that, you know, we're in Uptown New Orleans.
05:15That's right.
05:16That's right.
05:17And you know, a lot of the musicians from here,
05:18Mr. Cool, Lil Wayne, they are from Uptown.
05:21Uptown.
05:22They are from this area.
05:23I believe, but I'm biased.
05:25I believe Uptown is the best part of New Orleans.
05:27But I would just pass through because I thought I might run into somebody
05:31saying this, you know what I'm saying?
05:32Somebody who can hear me rap.
05:33Somebody who would be interested in what I did.
05:37Okay, y'all, so I just showed you one of my favorite places to pick up gear
05:40at the Music Exchange down here Uptown in New Orleans.
05:43It's hot outside.
05:44So we're going to go get something that I love.
05:46My favorite thing to do in New Orleans.
05:48Snowballs.
05:49Y'all ready to go?
05:50Let's go.
06:00Snow Wizard is one of the oldest snowball stands in New Orleans.
06:05Our snowballs here are different than any snowball in any part of the world
06:08because our ice is shaved so finely that it just melts in your mouth.
06:13You see these people say, oh, you want a snowball?
06:15I'm in like Kansas or somewhere.
06:16Oh, you want a snowball?
06:17And they give me this cone with this block of funky ice on top
06:20and they pour a little bit of juice.
06:22That's not a snowball.
06:23This is a snowball.
06:26After church every Sunday, this happened.
06:30And if this did not happen, TT had a fit.
06:33And it's so good.
06:34And you can see we put condensed milk on it and it's like really weird.
06:37It's a weird connection of like creamy and juicy.
06:42But it is so freaking good, you guys.
06:45It's so good.
06:46Hold tight.
06:47Mmm.
06:48Mmm.
06:49Oh, my God.
06:50You see it dripping all down my...
06:51Oh, my God.
06:52This is the best.
06:54I had a wonderful time showing you my New Orleans.
06:56It's a beautiful city.
06:57It's so unique and it's special.
06:59And I hope that you come out and visit.
07:00But more than anything, come out for Essence Festival 2015.
07:04I will be there.
07:05Get your tickets now.
07:06It's going to be so much fun.
07:08I want to say thank you to Essence.
07:14And I want to say thank you so much, first and foremost, for what you have done for black
07:19women with your magazine, first and foremost.
07:21I mean, I remember being a young girl, opening up the magazine and seeing beautiful women
07:27that looked like me and I could relate to and I could aspire to be like when I was older.
07:32Secondly, I want to say thank you.
07:35Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful festival in my city.
07:39I'm very, very appreciative to you.
07:41The city is very appreciative to you.
07:43Mwah, mwah, mwah, mwah.
07:44Mmm.
07:45Mmm.
07:46We love you.
07:51So once you have bought your Essence Festival ticket and you get in, you can expect a rush because
07:58it's music everywhere.
08:00It's celebrities everywhere.
08:02It's food, it's culture, it's everything.
08:05So remember, you gotta buy a ticket to see me.
08:09You have to buy a ticket.
08:11You can come and enjoy the free things.
08:13But in order to see your girl, you have to buy a ticket.
08:16Make sure you get the ticket.
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