His Purple Highness: Prince Headlines Essence Festival, Shows Lil Mo No Love

Prince has held his purple reign in the music industry for more than 30 years. Over the course of his career, he has been party to and subject of several music industry feuds and controversies. Yet, his star power never seems to dissipate despite all the drama. It seems that his appearance as headliner at the 20th Annual Essence Festival was no exception.

It all went down backstage as Prince was preparing to take the stage to start his set. Apparently R&B singer Lil Mo didn’t take too kindly to his Purple Highness blocking the bathrooms with his security detail. Complex shared the following Instagram post from Lil Mo:

“The [expletive] NOLA police just tried me and @dynamiteKO we had VIP passes to meander the whole superdome dude talmbout “we gotta hold the walk through cuz PRINCE coming through the back”… I don’t want to see him. I had to PEE. This industry [expletive] is CRAZY. Erbody think they not human!! Mannnnn… I’m GONE.”

Lil Mo would continue her rant about Prince by later stating that Prince failed to hit all his notes during his performance.

In typical Prince fashion, the only response that came from Paisley Park was:

“I hope she know, none of her clothes match.”

Despite the social media sparring match, Prince took to his set, closing out the night on July 4th at the Essence Festival after taking a ten year hiatus from performing there. The Star Tribune reports that Prince “showed thousands Friday why a 10-year wait isn’t a bad thing.” Prince took over the stage and showed everyone in attendance what his most loyal followers always knew: why he is the reigning ruler of the pop-soul sound.

Ten years ago, His Purple Majesty took over the Essence stage to perform alongside Morris Day and The Time, former Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin, and Sheila E. During his set 10 years later, Prince would entertain the audience with several classic songs, including “Kiss,” “Raspberry Beret,” “When Doves Cry,” “Controversy,” “1999,” and a smoothed out version of “Little Red Corvette” and “Nothing Compares to You.” At this year’s Essence Festival, Prince closed out the show in similar fashion, but not before leaving the crowd wanting more. As is common at most all his shows, Prince ended the set with his most endearing song, “Purple Rain.” Before cranking into his most widely recognized song ever written, Prince would quip:

“Thirty years ago today this was the sound. You can sing if you want to.”

After which, he strutted his purple stuff off stage and no doubt left every hard core Prince lover in the house crying purple tears of joy.

The Essence Festival runs throughout the remainder of the 4th of July holiday weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Did you see Prince’s performance at the Essence Festival? What do you think about the Lil Mo and Prince social media spat?

[Image credit: Essence Magazine]