00:00Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not lying, this is one of the greatest moments ever.
00:08Brian, can you tell him, look at what we're getting ready to do.
00:12We're going to honor Frankie right here.
00:14Listen, make some noise for Tony, the new lead singer of the band.
00:19Tony's the new lead singer of Frankie Beverly and Mays.
00:22Make some noise for him.
00:25We are now honored.
00:27Hold on, before you speak.
00:29Yes.
00:30I just want everybody in here to take your phone out and put the light on Mr. Frankie Beverly tonight.
00:42Put that light.
00:43Right now, everybody.
00:44Mr. Beverly, I want you to see every life in here that you have touched.
00:51I want you to feel how much we appreciate you, celebrate you.
00:58You are the greatest of all time.
01:03Yes.
01:04Yes.
01:05The greatest.
01:07Yes.
01:09Put your light on for Mr. Frankie Beverly and shine it on Mays too.
01:17Yes.
01:18Mayor, please, give him.
01:27I love you, New Orleans.
01:28Here we go.
01:29I love you, Essence.
01:31I'm Mark Morial, and I'm joined by the mayor of this city, Latoya Cantrell.
01:38Make some noise, please.
01:40The legendary founder of Essence Magazine and Essence Communications, Ed Lewis.
01:50Yes.
01:50And also, State Senator Royce DuPlessis.
01:55And again, I'm Mark Morial.
01:58I had the pleasure, come on up, Frankie, to serve as mayor of this city when we started
02:05Essence 30 years ago.
02:08Make some noise for that.
02:10And throughout those 30 years, in the first and the early years, the high point of Essence
02:20was always when the great Frankie Beverly and Mays closed this show.
02:27And this is a man that brought us joy and pain, Southern girl, and say, we are one.
02:39We are one.
02:41So tonight, I am proud to present to Frankie just one of a number of tributes to say to
02:52him, thank you, Frankie, Beverly, and Mays, for bringing us joy, celebration, and for becoming
03:02part of the Essence Music Festival tradition and history.
03:08Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Frankie Beverly.
03:11We love Frankie.
03:12Let me introduce a legend who, as the first black woman to serve as mayor of this city,
03:24continued this tradition, continued this tradition of Essence Music Festival, Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
03:33Listen, we know that we are one and we are stronger together.
03:39And as Essence has said, we love us.
03:44And we love Frankie.
03:46All right.
03:47We love you.
03:49And we would not be here if this man, in 1970, didn't have a vision to create a magazine dedicated
04:01to the beauty and brilliance of black women.
04:05And that was Essence Magazine.
04:07And on their 25th birthday, they decided to do something unprecedented, to start this festival
04:15of black culture, celebration of black women, the quintessential party with a purpose.
04:23Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Ed Lewis.
04:31In 1994, I was at Madison Square Garden and heard Frankie Beverly, 18,000 people.
04:44Tony Braxton was the lead.
04:47And Frankie was there.
04:48I had never seen 18,000 people in Madison Square Garden just jumping in joy.
04:55And when I made the decision in 1995 to come here, I made the decision because I saw him
05:03at Madison Square Garden.
05:05And I want to say to you, it is my honor to have invited you to be a part of this extraordinary
05:14event, and you made it all happen for us.
05:19And finally, this festival relies on all of your support and the support of the city of New
05:29Orleans and the state of Louisiana.
05:32So, we want State Senator Royce DuPlessis, who represents this city in Baton Rouge, to offer
05:41a word or two.
05:42State Senator Royce DuPlessis.
05:47Thank you, Mayor.
05:49New Orleans, y'all are so beautiful.
05:51On behalf of the Louisiana Legislature and the State Senate, me and along with so many
05:55and my colleagues, we work in partnership with Essence to ensure that this festival, this
06:01music festival, continues to do what it does every year.
06:05And I just want to thank the leadership that we have right here, Mayor Morial.
06:08You helped usher this festival here, Mayor Cantrell.
06:12And to stand alongside this legend, who we all grew up on, is a true honor.
06:17And Mr. Lewis, thank you for your leadership.
06:19Let's keep going, y'all.
06:20We all won.
06:21We all won.
06:22Yes.
06:23Yes.
06:23Yes.
06:23Yes.
06:23Yes.
06:24Yes.
06:25Franky, I know you're a man of very little words, because your songs speak for themselves.
06:34But can you just thank the people as they thank you, because they love you so much.
06:41I know they just want to hear you say hello.
06:52Thank you, my people.
06:55Thank you for this love.
07:00And thank you for caring.
07:04And I'm going to make you proud of me.
07:09You already did that.
07:10Very soon.
07:11You already did that.
07:13I don't know what else you can do.
07:16You already did that.
07:17Yeah.
07:17Yeah.
07:18Yeah.
07:18Yeah, but I, but I promised to make you proud of me in, in, in, in short time.
07:30I love you from the bottom of my heart.
07:34Come on.
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