Fans of hip hop, R&B and comedy should consider ditching the traditional fireworks on 4th of july and head down to New Orleans for the Essence Music Festival instead. This event has become an annual summer celebration in the Big Easy, and with this year's lineup it looks like the party won't stop in New Orleans during 4th of July weekend.

Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Chris Rock, Jill Scott, Chris Brown, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, and many more are slated to appear at this year's festival, which is billed as "the nation's largest annual African-American event celebrating black music and culture." Around 200,000 people attended the festival last year, and with this year's lineup as star-studded as it is, it looks like the 2008 Essence Festival will again be one of the summer's best.

Tickets are on sale now starting at $45. For more information regarding lineup and where to buy tickets, check out the Essence Music Festival website.