Scenes From Essence Music Festival 2011

Sheryl Huggins Salomon is senior editor-at-large of The Root and a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based editorial consultant. Follow her on Twitter.

The Big Finish: Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige closed out the 2011 Essence Music Festival at the Louisiana Superdome on July 3, 2011, in New Orleans.

Captions by The Root's editorial staff

Trey Songz Excites

Trey Songz delighted the crowd at the Louisiana Superdome on July 3, 2011, in New Orleans.

New Edition, Reissued

New Edition reunited at the Louisiana Superdome on July 3, 2011.

Funk Legend George Clinton

Make our funk the p-funk! George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic performed at the Louisiana Superdome on July 3, 2011.

Kanye West Wows

West headlined the 17th annual Essence Music Festival, his first performance there since 2008. Here he is at the Louisiana Superdome on July 2, 2011, in New Orleans.

Jill Scott's Surprise

Scott surprised festivalgoers with a sassy new look and a surprise performance with Anthony Hamilton at the Louisiana Superdome on July 2.

Mary J. Blige and Don Pooh

Singer-songwriter Blige posed with music executive Pooh at the Louisiana Superdome on July 2.

Chaka Khan Gets the Keys

Not only did Khan perform at the Louisiana Superdome on July 2, but she also received the keys to the city.

Usher Takes Flight

With his gravity-defying dance moves, Usher did not disappoint at the Louisiana Superdome on July 1. He said that to prepare for his performance in front of a largely female audience, he did a few extra crunches.