After a successful first year, Mary J. Blige was back in the peach state to host her annual Strength of a Woman Festival right in the heart of Atlanta. The three-day event focuses on highlighting people of color in music, business, philanthropy and more.
Though it’s only it its second year, it’s only gotten bigger and this year’s lineup was nothing short of epic.
The unofficial kick off took place on May 11th at City Winery for an intimate evening with Grammy-award winning musician Robert Glasper, who performed back-to-back shows playing some of Mary’s greatest hits before surprising fans with a performance from Luke James.
The annual Strength of a Woman Summit was held at AmericasMart in Downtown Atlanta. The event provides panels, resources and networking opportunities for women in business, entertainment and health and wellness to come together to learn and share ideas.
Panelists included Mary J. Blige, Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Radio personality Angela Yee, Actress Marsai Martin and more. Guests listened on as panelists from various industries covered important topics, shared their truths and offered advice.
On May 12th, the party moved over to State Farm Arena for a night with Hip-Hop and R&B’s biggest legends. With this year marking the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop, it was only right for the culture’s finest to hit the stage. Jeezy, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes controlled the crowd during their lively sets.
Missy Elliot, Jodeci Akon, Bobby Valentino, Lloyd and Rah Digga were also some of the artists amongst the lineup.
Headliner DJ Drama surprised the audience with a warm welcome to Atlanta and brought out T.I., Young Dro, Travis Porter and more.
Mary opened up the show performing her classics including “I Love You” and “All I Need” with her Power: Book II co-star and frequent collaborator Method Man.
After, ATL’s princess Ciara stormed the stage dressed in a badass black, white and red and black jumpsuit shades while singing her chart-topping songs including “1,2 Step” before bringing out Brooklyn rap newcomer Lola Brooke to perform her megahit “Don’t Play Wit It” and their song “Da Girls.” Despite the rapper’s height, the rapper commanded the stage like a giant.