00:00Thank you so much New Orleans. I love you Essence Fest. Thank you. I'm Ari Lennox. Thank you so much y'all. Bye.
00:30Yeah. Welcome back. Welcome back. I told y'all don't play with my DMV sister. She killed it, didn't she? She was killing it up there. She looking real good too. Now her outfit was giving dance for the songs. I gotta put up my little son on her. She's like a snack for Zyeda. How old is your son? 26. She don't want it. He's still too young. He too young for her? Yes. You hear all that stuff I already be singing about? No, he's like 6'11. She don't want no un-giving, deceiving, head-a-person. Oh, why are you trying to say I am so my son is? You know what? We gon' go to social media. What they got?
01:00What they got to say about Ari's performance. Somebody said, Ari looks and sounds amazing per usual. And y'all already know what it is. Yes. Lord, Ari Lennox knows she look good as a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. That's what it had to come from DMV. It had to come from Baltimore or DC. Somebody said, Ari Lennox is a vocalist, honey, in this all-female band. Oh, yes. Listen, let's give it up for them. Bad. Bad. They was bad. Listen, yeah. They were absolutely bad. Seeing my girl Ari Lennox just flourished year after year really brings me joy. My girl is on the Essence Fest.
01:30Let's go. Yes, yes, yes. Yes, for all the black women musicians. Yes, give it up again. They all look good.
01:37Yeah, incredible. Ari's outfit is everything. I was gonna wear that, too. You was gonna wear that? Yeah, I was gonna wear it, but then I knew Ari was wearing it, so I didn't wear it.
01:45So you was like, no? Yeah, and I ain't got the legs for her. All right. Somebody said, like I said, Ari Lennox never misses. She looked and sounded amazing tonight.
01:52Hashtag Essence Fest. Love that. Love that. Whatever point that Ari Lennox is trying to prove, she's proving it. Sheesh.
02:00Uh-huh. Hashtag Essence Fest. Ari Lennox looks so, so good. So classic. Yeah, and she did a thing. Speaking of good-looking and classic, y'all see who we got right here?
02:11Y'all see who we got Miss Latoya Luckett is in the building.
02:14Yes, we do. Hey, y'all. Hey, y'all. What's up?
02:15Hey, baby. How you doing? I'm wonderful.
02:17Paula, this refined woman and actress and all that.
02:20Aw, thank you. Listen, how does it feel to be here at the Essence Fest 2023? And we on Hulu, girl.
02:25First of all, if you know me, you know anything about Latoya Luckett, I love me some Essence Fest.
02:29Good. I've been coming for the past, what, 15-something-plus years.
02:32Yeah, yeah. Right.
02:33It's what I look forward to every single year, to see us come together, love on each other.
02:38It's like a big family reunion.
02:40Mm-hmm. Yeah, it is.
02:41With our favorite cousins performing.
02:43Are you one of them cousins that be walking down Bourbon Street?
02:46I don't quite make it to Bourbon.
02:48She don't even make it to me.
02:50Because they be having me working and carrying on.
02:52But I love it. I love it. I love it.
02:54And the fans are absolutely wonderful, right?
02:57Yes.
02:57Everybody is so polite and nice.
02:58Everybody's so kind, and they're just excited to be here.
03:01Yes.
03:01And just, it's a feeling that I get nowhere else.
03:05Yeah, yeah.
03:06And it's an experience that I just love, and I love bringing my family and my friends to come in and experience it with me.
03:13But yeah, here we are again.
03:15Yeah.
03:16So we are celebrating 50 years in hip-hop.
03:18Yeah.
03:18And we're also celebrating Lauryn Hill.
03:20She's also celebrating.
03:2225 years.
03:2325 years.
03:23Of the Miss Education of Lauryn Hill.
03:2525 years?
03:26Yes.
03:26It's been 25 years.
03:26That album came out 25 years ago?
03:2825 years ago.
03:28I was 14.
03:30You were 14.
03:31I'm lying.
03:32I'm lying.
03:32I wasn't even born yet, if that was the case.
03:36Do you know what else?
03:37Who else is celebrating 25 years?
03:39Who else?
03:39Destiny's Child.
03:40Oh, my gosh.
03:41Yes.
03:42Yes.
03:42Ooh, now y'all really aging me.
03:44So all hell.
03:44No, it don't matter.
03:4525 years ago?
03:46Yes.
03:47But she still look good.
03:49You look amazing.
03:50Good black don't crack.
03:51That's what they say.
03:52Look at y'all.
03:53How does that feel, though, to be celebrating, you know, the beginning of the girl group?
03:59Man, all I'll say is, first of all, it was such an honor and a blessing to be a part
04:04of such an amazing group of women just coming together and doing what we love to do, which
04:08was sing and entertain.
04:10I will never, ever, ever take that experience for granted.
04:14Yeah.
04:14Wishing all the ladies love, love, love, love.
04:17But I'm so glad that I can still walk down the street and somebody go, man, when y'all
04:22put out bills, bills, bills, when y'all put out, say your name, when y'all put out,
04:25like, y'all don't know what that did for me.
04:27Like, no, you don't know what that did for me.
04:29Yeah.
04:29You don't know what that did to me.
04:30Exactly.
04:31You had to say y'all name and pay your bills.
04:33You messed us up.
04:34Ah.
04:35But that makes me feel good to be sitting here with you and you.
04:39Legendary.
04:39She's a legend.
04:40That was always on my radio.
04:41Iconic woman right there.
04:43Yes.
04:43Both of y'all.
04:44Thank you so much.
04:45I'm so proud of you.
04:46Oh, you are.
04:47I'm so proud of you.
04:48I was just telling her that.
04:49When I told you that off camera.
04:50Watching her climb that ladder and it's not an easy one to climb, I'm proud of you.
04:52Because she's talented.
04:53Yes.
04:54She's talented.
04:55And she can go on TV with no makeup, y'all.
04:56She has absolutely.
04:57She's talented.
04:57Oh, my God.
04:58A drip of makeup.
05:00There's no foundation.
05:01It's just skin.
05:03Latoya, they told me that this was going to be outside.
05:05I think I was talking to the wrong black people.
05:07They was like, yo, what's going to be outside?
05:08It's going to be like a black party.
05:09And y'all know how the heat is.
05:11It is.
05:12But listen.
05:13Look at you.
05:14Thank you so much.
05:15You talk about no pause.
05:17Yeah.
05:17I can't see the pause, baby.
05:19Thank you so much, baby.
05:20It's giving.
05:20Not at all.
05:20I'm so glad that you are here sitting with us.
05:23Thank you so much for coming to talk to us.
05:26Latoya, we love you so much.
05:27Y'all having a good time up here on this Hulu stage.
05:28Absolutely, man.
05:29Yes.
05:30Absolutely.
05:30Latoya Luckett in the building with us.
05:32We got a lot of more good stuff coming back.
05:34I don't know what a lot of more is, but I just said it.
05:36We'll be back.
05:37You made that up.
05:38Hulu.
05:41I love that.
05:45I love that.
