Up next in 10
Caroline Wanga stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about Essence Festival Of Culture in New Orleans happening on July 4th Weekend. This year features their first-ever all-Black women hip-hop headliners as well as in-person and virtual experiences that will explore and showcase how hip-hop has impacted every aspect of global culture through daytime programming and nightly shows!!
Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary is taking center stage at this year’s Essence Festival of Culture. Now in its 29th year, Essence Festival of Culture will feature some of the most award-winning hip-hop artists to rock the mic over the last 50 years including headliners Ms. Lauryn Hill, who will give a special performance of the 5x Grammy-winning album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” in recognition of its 25th anniversary, and 3x Grammy Award-winning artist, Megan Thee Stallion. Doug E. Fresh will curate a special performance of hip-hop pioneers, and in honor of So So Def’s 30th anniversary, Grammy award-winning super producer and label founder, Jermaine Dupri, will deliver a special performance with some of the biggest names in hip-hop to come out of Atlanta.
Subscribe Here! http://bit.ly/SubscribeSU
Watch the Best of Sway In The Morning! http://bit.ly/BestOfSITM
Check out More From Sway’s Universe
http://swaysuniverse.com
http://twitter.com/swaysuniverse
http://instagram.com/swaysuniverse
http://facebook.com/swaysuniverse
#CarolineWanga #essencefestival #EssenceFest2023 #SwaysUniverse #SwayInTheMorning #SiriusXM #Shade45
About SWAY’s UNIVERSE
Exclusive interviews from Sway Calloway and the Sway In The Morning/ SwaysUniverse.com team with some of today's biggest celebrities, like Kevin Hart, Kanye West, Eminem, Usher, Jessica Alba, Steve Aoki, Torey Lanez, Julia Stiles and so much more.
President & CEO of Essence Ventures Caroline Wanga Talks Essence Fest 2023 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
https://youtu.be/Hlqa4Y04us4
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
if there's one thing we know as black
0:01
people to try to make a silver spoon out
0:03
of plastic
0:10
so is the interview
0:14
[Music]
0:16
ever oh wow that powerful voice you
0:20
heard right there is our next guest
0:23
I don't even know if she recalls the
0:25
moment we cross paths okay and Lower
0:27
Manhattan on the side of the Soho house
0:30
we were showing off switch
0:34
with you
0:36
Kanan Mr you know he gonna
0:50
was made aware that she would have a
0:53
president a CEO of essence Ventures and
0:56
I was like I am so pleased to meet you
0:58
and I recall that day saying uh you'd be
1:00
more than welcome to come up on this
1:02
show you did say that and listen how it
1:04
came to fruition have to be talk to me
1:06
okay we have a power we have a powerful
1:09
person right here this Spirit right here
1:11
resonates all over the globe what she
1:14
does is she Champions authenticity and
1:17
she does it well she's a self-proclaimed
1:19
uh cultural architect with the passion
1:22
for constructing deconstructing and
1:24
reconstruction of organized culture
1:27
she's here with us today she won she did
1:30
it for Target for 15 years okay and now
1:34
she's doing it for Essence and who's to
1:36
say for how long as long as we got no
1:38
matter we are truly blessed I want to
1:40
welcome her to the show The One and Only
1:42
Caroline Wenger is here
1:44
[Music]
1:50
[Music]
2:00
[Music]
2:06
I appreciate the introduction but more
2:08
importantly appreciate the invitation
2:10
you extended and what you guys do I mean
2:13
you guys are the custodians of the
2:15
culture and I couldn't I couldn't thank
2:17
you enough for the opportunity to be
2:18
here but more importantly for what you
2:19
guys do in the world thank you thank you
2:21
keep doing it it's necessary it's needed
2:25
in a time where
2:26
um I'm questioning the decisions
2:28
Humanity makes I trust in people like
2:30
y'all thank you you know what I'm at
2:32
that same place I look at us for
2:35
information I look at us for the answers
2:37
I mean that commencement speech you did
2:39
for Dillard University was amazing yes
2:41
you know um and what what is it that you
2:43
want to say when you do have opportunity
2:45
used to be on the mic you know here's
2:48
the most honest thing I can say right I
2:50
spent I became pregnant at the age of
2:52
17.
2:54
at that point in my life people started
2:56
to renegotiate my potential without my
2:58
permission that would make these subtle
3:00
comments about well maybe you should
3:02
like yesterday you told me I could rule
3:04
the world today you're saying I should
3:06
lower my standard right because I was
3:08
pregnant what I've realized is that I
3:11
then spent almost 20 years stuck there
3:14
that if you want to call it a failure
3:16
was there and so I never motivated
3:18
myself to do anything nor could I see
3:20
what I'd done and when I started the
3:23
Journey of reclaiming that
3:26
two things happened that are my answer
3:27
to your question the first of those is I
3:29
hope to never allow anybody to stay that
3:32
stuck again the sooner you can get to
3:34
who you are the more you will do what
3:36
you're supposed to do and the better off
3:38
you'll be but the second piece of it is
3:41
the individual perspective you have is
3:44
tied to your purpose and your purpose is
3:46
yours alone and if you don't pursue it
3:47
the world goes without
3:49
I need people to activate their purpose
3:52
so the world can be healed again I don't
3:54
trust institutions anymore I don't
3:58
whether it be educational institutions
4:00
organizational institutions I trust
4:02
people and I trust people who know who
4:04
they are so I need us to activate who we
4:07
are and step into our individual purpose
4:09
so the world for the Next Generation
4:10
looks different than the one we're
4:11
handing on I love that Caroline Wenger
4:13
is here how did you like people go
4:16
through different routes to activate
4:18
their purpose you know different
4:20
practices to activate them some folks
4:22
don't even realize is not activated how
4:25
would you sug how would you suggest
4:26
people go about finding that purpose and
4:29
activating it my simplest way to say it
4:32
no matter where you're coming from is
4:33
pick five people that know you
4:36
differently
4:36
spouse or partner colleague even the one
4:39
that doesn't like you is even better a
4:41
boss a friend somebody you have
4:43
relationship with differently pick five
4:45
of them ask them two questions the first
4:48
question is what is the thing that when
4:50
you want to do it you won't do it till
4:52
you find me because I'm the best at it
4:54
the second question is what is the thing
4:55
if we're the last two people on Earth
4:57
you would rather die than ask me to do
4:59
it why those two questions what you're
5:02
looking for across those five people
5:04
what's consistent
5:06
what is consistency showing up with the
5:08
people in your life that you are the
5:09
best person in their life to do whether
5:11
you're talking to a colleague a spouse
5:12
or whatever on the other hand what's the
5:14
thing everybody's telling you don't have
5:16
no business doing
5:17
because then what you're given a hint
5:19
into is how to spend 90 of your time
5:21
doing what people are saying you do well
5:24
that's showing up in multiple places
5:25
which means it's a natural gifts right
5:27
that means it's natural if it transcends
5:30
environments and only 10 of your time on
5:33
the stuff you're not good at and all
5:34
you're doing is mitigating the risk
5:35
right it changes your life so if you
5:38
don't know where to start start with
5:40
five different people that know you
5:41
differently ask those two questions
5:43
listen activate on exploring that 90 on
5:47
what they say you're good at that ten
5:48
percent just don't let it get in the way
5:49
don't let it get in everything else will
5:51
happen the universe will affirm that
5:52
which is right can I follow you around
5:54
every day
5:55
but I'm an introvert most of the time
5:57
I'm sitting at home watching Netflix
5:58
we'll come through come on I'm good
6:02
are you kidding me
6:06
they think because of the work they
6:09
think I'm extroverted yeah and then it
6:11
is interesting because I'll go places
6:13
I'm kind of quiet and then they might
6:15
mistake that as being something else I'm
6:17
just rather quiet can we talk about
6:20
um Essence yes the Essence Festival of
6:23
culture in New Orleans in New Orleans
6:26
Fourth of July weekend yes the weekend
6:29
of my birthday shut it third
6:34
oh okay noted
6:37
wow I did not know I should be on stage
6:39
with Jermaine Dupree
6:41
I noted
6:48
um we'll see what we can do we all grew
6:50
up with essence you know Essence is a
6:53
Mainstay of my family over the decades I
6:55
love Essence I learned about the rest of
6:57
the country where black folks had going
6:59
on in the South I grew up on the west
7:01
coast the Northeast anywhere around the
7:03
world the diaspora through Essence as a
7:06
kid it's 2023 you've been with that
7:09
since since 2020. yes sir yeah you left
7:11
Target what 15 years yep okay you made
7:15
them a lot of money you brought in a lot
7:17
of great information you helped them
7:18
expand their business and decided to go
7:20
to Essence why
7:23
um
7:24
it's interesting you always use the word
7:25
excited I wouldn't use that word but I
7:28
wouldn't use a worse word the word that
7:29
I would use was
7:31
um recompense okay and here's what I
7:33
mean by that I was in a place while I'd
7:35
been with Target where I wasn't like
7:37
trying to leave Taco but I was looking
7:38
for more to be added to my portfolio I
7:40
wanted to take on additional things and
7:43
was an open conversations with Target
7:44
about that had done some external
7:46
interviews some internal interviews and
7:48
just wasn't finding the thing just
7:50
hadn't come yet so I'd kind of chilled
7:51
out on it and then I got a call from
7:53
this man Rich Lou Dennis one day and he
7:55
asked me if I wanted to come to Essence
7:57
and I was like I'm not you called the
7:58
wrong Carolina
8:00
I'm not from media like your supply
8:03
chain and Retail girl like you dialed
8:04
the wrong Caroline
8:06
and and in The Narrative of him
8:08
continuing to share why he called me
8:11
and what he wanted me to do what he said
8:14
was that the way that I was living my
8:15
life is what the brand needed for its
8:17
next era it wasn't what I'd done in my
8:20
work it's how I was living my life and
8:22
and unlocking my authenticity was the
8:24
moment that created what he saw so had I
8:26
not done that I don't come to Essence
8:28
and so at the point that I realized that
8:31
the success that I had had in Corporate
8:33
America the life that I had the
8:34
privilege to live was because of things
8:37
like essence
8:39
and I was offered the opportunity to
8:41
come and be the custodian of this
8:44
cultural artifact that belongs to all of
8:46
us for however long I'm supposed to be
8:48
here I could not say no because what I
8:51
wasn't going to allow to happen was I'm
8:52
supposed to go I had self-preservation
8:55
or doubt or lack of courage in my mind I
8:57
don't go and Essence isn't here anymore
8:59
yeah I wouldn't have been able to sleep
9:01
at night yeah so for me it was come and
9:04
be of service to the very same community
9:07
that has played a role in you getting to
9:08
where you are and you will be there
9:10
until you have done what you are
9:11
supposed to do and then you will move to
9:13
the next thing so I was in a reverent
9:16
fear of this job like uh like you know
9:19
how people talk about you you Revere
9:22
like God like you you fear them but you
9:24
you you you they're up here yeah that's
9:27
how I felt about coming into this job
9:29
and still dude this was an obligation of
9:31
purpose this was recompense to a
9:34
community that has played a big role in
9:35
how I got to where I am and I will be
9:37
here until the time that I not supposed
9:39
to be here but more importantly once I
9:41
have accomplished what I'm supposed to
9:43
do to give the Baton to the next person
9:45
who's going to lead this brand I will
9:46
happily step down knowing I did what I
9:49
was supposed to do with the calling that
9:50
came to me I love it Caroline Wanga is
9:53
here
9:55
um Essence he said because of what you
9:58
do is where Essence is trying to go in
10:01
the next era Define that where is X
10:04
where is Essence in this era that's such
10:07
a dope question so Essence has been
10:09
around for a little over 50 years 2020
10:11
was actually the 50th Anniversary wow
10:13
right I know right like we like that and
10:16
so so
10:17
what as I came in what did it mean for
10:21
the next 5 10 50 years was the question
10:24
I had to resolve after spending quite a
10:27
bit of time the answer became really
10:28
clear Essence was founded to serve black
10:31
women deeply
10:32
that mission has not changed but because
10:34
Essence did what it was supposed to do
10:36
with the black woman she's not in the
10:38
same position she was in when Essence
10:40
started so the narrative to drive the
10:42
next 50 years of essence is about
10:44
because of what Essence did in the first
10:46
50 years the black woman is strongly
10:48
rooted as the CEO of Home culture and
10:50
community
10:51
not black home culture and Community
10:53
Home culture and Community a black woman
10:56
says something things change a black
10:59
woman does something things change not
11:00
just for the black woman but for every
11:02
part of the ecosystem that she interacts
11:04
with and we have now gotten to the place
11:06
where that recognition of the value of
11:08
black women is even being taken into
11:10
mainstream we ain't just talking to
11:11
ourselves everybody wants some black
11:13
girl on their cover yeah everybody want
11:14
to interview everybody want to do a song
11:15
with every like if you don't engage with
11:18
a black woman on an engagement your
11:19
engagement is incomplete and so is your
11:22
money
11:23
the value right because of how valuable
11:26
what we offer is and so the
11:28
repositioning for Essence for the next
11:29
50 years is respecting the role that
11:31
black women now have as the CEOs of Home
11:34
culture and Community more importantly
11:35
what that means to how they contribute
11:37
to all of society not just black women
11:39
but the biggest piece has been if you
11:42
engage with her you will engage with her
11:44
at her full value no discounts yeah you
11:47
don't and and we will stand guiding
11:49
Guardian around narratives that try to
11:50
make her a charity case
11:52
right or somebody who's in deficit that
11:54
needs you no the white CEO that you
11:56
would reschedule your whole life to meet
11:58
with because you want his clout she's
12:00
the same girl she's exactly the same
12:02
engage with her as the CEO of home and
12:04
culture and Community believe her and
12:05
leverage her knowledge as the CEO of
12:07
Home culture and community and return to
12:09
her the value of what she offers at full
12:12
value that is what the next era of
12:14
essence is it is repositioning the black
12:16
woman forcing the ecosystems to engage
12:18
with her the right way in returning
12:20
value Thank You Caroline wake up
12:23
go ahead and open and grab clothes
12:25
that's that real talk right there she's
12:27
known for that's that real time
12:29
just is yeah whatever ballot you want to
12:32
put your name on see here y'all go with
12:34
this nonsense
12:35
I'm gonna call him my fellow introvert
12:37
for all y'all that keeps saying put on
12:39
the bed I don't want to be on a ballot I
12:40
like Michelle Obama leave me I just want
12:42
to be outside you might you might not
12:44
have no choice
12:45
it might be your purpose purpose that's
12:48
why you were supposed to decide
12:51
they say that to me too Caroline
12:57
the other way around
13:01
yeah I'm carrying your bags are you
13:03
kidding me
13:05
uh y'all want to jump in yeah you know
13:08
you're you're such a force
13:10
um you just ignite a Fire Within whether
13:13
it's already been there whether it
13:14
needed its first like match I'm just
13:16
very appreciative of You Caroline
13:18
um I want your thoughts on Excellence
13:21
versus Perfection oh we're going there
13:24
huh yes please because as black women
13:26
we've all been shaped by well-intended
13:29
mentioned messages of you have to go
13:33
harder you have to bring more you have
13:36
to arrive with more fervor because you
13:38
are a woman because you are black and
13:42
yes that can get you a lot of success
13:45
but that can also create a lot of fear
13:48
around making very normal human mistakes
13:51
yeah and you can't carry them you know
13:55
and so you end up stripping yourself of
13:58
your own Humanity you know and it's very
14:01
hard to hold yourself with care yeah
14:04
what is the difference
14:06
so so
14:08
number one I think the word have to
14:10
becomes the word can
14:12
right which makes it a decision so
14:15
having to carry the bad versus I can
14:17
carry the bag changes the power of who's
14:19
making the decision I can carry the bag
14:22
as me I can but do I want to versus I
14:24
have to and there's no other choice but
14:26
but the reality is this right I think
14:28
the the burden of perfection especially
14:31
for us as black women is just as
14:33
self-inflicted as it is externally
14:35
inflicted
14:37
we somehow don't understand that things
14:39
will be fine if our Cape doesn't open
14:41
that day
14:42
even when things will be fine when our
14:44
Cape doesn't open that day correct right
14:46
right it's hard for us to adjust out of
14:48
this thing that we've been some of the
14:51
practices that I use to exist within
14:53
that so use the word Perfection I'm
14:54
constantly saying it's progress not
14:56
perfection
14:58
even if you fall fall forward but it's
15:01
okay to fall
15:02
because you're going to fall eventually
15:04
so you can stop the fall this time it's
15:05
going to happen the next time
15:06
so let the fall happen just face forward
15:08
but the more important practice that has
15:10
been really important to me is changing
15:13
my relationship with failure
15:16
failure is something that has held me
15:19
captive for 20 years of my life I talked
15:21
about being a mom at 17. that failure
15:25
literally had me hostage
15:27
and I don't even know the number of
15:29
opportunities or purpose things I didn't
15:31
get to activate because I was stuck
15:33
there
15:34
the philosophy that I embedded to be
15:36
able to exist in the way I wanted to was
15:39
to give myself five fails a day amen now
15:42
the type A people out there just had a
15:43
stomach ache make it three if it makes
15:45
you feel better
15:48
and as I give myself five fails a day
15:50
which means but until I fail the sixth
15:53
time it's not a bad day
15:55
because what would happen is I would
15:57
fail the first time in a day shut down
15:58
and not do anything the rest of the day
16:00
and what was I supposed to do that day
16:03
and who was it supposed to be for right
16:06
so it doesn't mean I don't get concerned
16:07
or mad when a failure happens I don't
16:09
let it Define my day so that threshold
16:12
for failure by the way which is
16:13
realistic as hell because I don't know
16:15
who's been able to live without failure
16:16
right right so it's actually an
16:19
injustice that we've existed believing
16:21
that failure is going to kill us make a
16:23
threshold for it minus five and then
16:24
here's what happens because I don't stop
16:27
because a fail happened even if I'm
16:29
pissed I'm still pissed not the rest of
16:31
the day
16:32
I have accidentally become an expert in
16:35
Failure recovery I get up faster than
16:37
anybody else I bounce back faster than
16:39
anybody else so now I actually have a
16:43
refined weapon
16:45
on failure recovery that helps me win
16:48
the race
16:49
because my failure threshold allows me
16:52
to not slow down when it happens
16:54
and at the moment that I pick back up
16:56
and do the next thing I'm gaining ground
16:58
on whatever is the opponent for the day
17:02
and I win damn near every day because I
17:04
never stopped the days where I get to a
17:06
sixth fail and it is a bad day I go to
17:09
bed right
17:14
Bishop can I cuss here okay this
17:17
kill me today I'm going to bed
17:20
I'm gonna try again tomorrow but
17:21
tomorrow I have a new five yeah so today
17:24
doesn't even if today is that day where
17:26
I hit six fails tomorrow I have five
17:29
and those bad days are few and far
17:32
between because I make a threshold for
17:34
failure I allocate to that threshold as
17:37
the day happens until it's six it's not
17:39
bad and I get up and recover from those
17:41
failures faster than anybody else that
17:43
for me is the difference between
17:45
operating in Perfection versus operating
17:47
in your humanity and what we need to do
17:50
not just black women is
17:51
change your relationship with failure
17:54
find your purpose change your
17:55
relationship with failure become a
17:57
failure recovery expert and go win
17:59
that's it Caroline wearing good damn it
18:03
wow you got where your purse at I'm
18:05
about to jump in here
18:07
wow Taylor got one somebody got one
18:11
um
18:12
this essence of festival or culture
18:16
Fourth of July weekend yes this one
18:19
right here citizens tickets are
18:21
available right
18:23
yes this I haven't checked this morning
18:25
but yes okay tickets are still available
18:27
right now as we speak but listen let me
18:30
tell you something and we do this really
18:31
well when we when we pinpoint something
18:33
you should be involved with people
18:35
respond nationally around the country
18:38
this is something you should be involved
18:41
with it's the first ever all black women
18:43
hip-hop Headliners wow
18:46
as well as in person and virtual
18:48
experiences
18:49
we're going to talk about hip-hop how it
18:52
impacted the culture on a global basis
18:54
that's right you got the one and only
18:57
multiple Grammy award-winning Lauren
18:59
Hill Miss Lauren Hill will be there yes
19:03
education of Lauren Hill right
19:08
we have Meg the stallion is going to be
19:10
there come on fully there come on man we
19:14
see you man came up here and shattered
19:16
the mic One Time come on she got bars
19:18
all day Dougie fresh is curating a hip
19:21
hop pioneer
19:24
first of all ducky fresh is Immortal I'm
19:26
that's good that's all I'm missing that
19:28
man does not age no no yeah
19:31
I don't even know how old you are but
19:33
you look young well duck shared with me
19:36
he was abducted
19:37
um by UFOs go away when he was younger
19:40
he looks like conspiracy theory I like
19:41
that that gave me so much Clarity
19:46
he's been an alien for a long time
19:48
Jermaine Dupree
19:50
that's my brother has been campaigning
19:53
this show that he's putting together
19:55
even made a song called Essence fest
19:57
Essence fest
19:59
whiz kid yes Monica yes Coco Jones
20:04
kiss Daniel yes Dion Cole yes Avion
20:08
Crockett
20:09
in the morning come on DJ Spinderella
20:13
there you go
20:15
DJ Clark Kent yes yes Spinderella you
20:18
said yeah Spinderella yeah kid Caprice
20:23
Echo was good yep yes I do this Caroline
20:27
I know you're right I'm in your
20:28
territory come on I do this you right
20:30
you're right you're right I should have
20:31
expected it this is a special
20:33
um uh Essence Festival culture we're
20:35
celebrating 50 years of hip-hop they
20:38
said it wasn't the music they said it
20:41
wasn't a culture what they said never
20:43
really mattered anyway it was something
20:45
that was created by a friend a community
20:48
that felt disenfranchised and wanted to
20:50
speak out for themselves use creation as
20:53
our form of therapy and communicating
20:55
with the world look at us look what we
20:57
do yes look who we are yes now look at
20:59
the world they look like us sound like
21:01
us Act Like Us wanna be us wanna be us
21:05
the most important one hip-hop culture
21:07
what is this this is a special one right
21:09
yes it is and you know one of the things
21:11
so the Essence Festival was started just
21:13
to celebrate the 25th year of the of the
21:15
magazine that's all it was going to be
21:16
and Ed Lewis very very conscious
21:18
decision to put it in New Orleans
21:19
instead of New York
21:21
because he wanted it to sit in a black
21:23
Mecca and so they were born together but
21:28
the evolution has to happen to continue
21:30
to come back we're now in our 29th year
21:31
this is the 29th year of the Essence
21:34
Festival of culture it is also and and
21:37
there are receipts to prove this it is
21:39
the largest Festival in the country by
21:41
per day attendance not the largest black
21:44
Festival it is the largest Festival in
21:47
the country by per day attendance the
21:49
only reason why other festivals numbers
21:51
look different is because they have more
21:52
days
21:52
[Applause]
21:57
yes right if you go by per day
22:00
attendance we are the largest Festival
22:02
in the country by per day attendance we
22:04
only do three days yeah Coachella does
22:06
two weekends oh okay so I could give you
22:08
the numbers 167 000 people attend per
22:11
data Essence over three days
22:14
Coachella 125 000 over six days
22:19
South by 27 800 over 10 days
22:25
so the receipts are we are the largest
22:27
Festival in the country by per day
22:29
attention Festival right at half a
22:31
million yeah and that's just the live
22:33
attendees and that number is not about
22:35
who buys tickets because we all know
22:37
people just come outside to be on the
22:38
street and get a little Essence Festival
22:39
on them they don't even go to nothing
22:40
they just want some of that energy a
22:43
little bit so they can go and be the
22:44
best black where they came from it's
22:45
like girls but right but that's measured
22:47
by what we do to lodging what happens
22:49
with flights and that's from the state
22:52
of Louisiana that's not my state yeah
22:55
and so when we talk about all of that
22:57
importance we say in this year where
23:00
it's the 50th year of hip-hop culturally
23:02
anyway how do we not
23:04
celebrate
23:06
this this thing that our community has
23:08
very quickly not just contributed to
23:10
society but Society is leveraged to
23:13
survive hip-hop is an Anthem of humanity
23:15
thanks and so so when we decided to go
23:19
with that as a focus we knew we would do
23:21
some things on the Superdome stage I had
23:23
no concern that we would be able to fill
23:24
that with a dope lineup but here's
23:26
what's different the reason why it's not
23:28
Essence Music Fest anymore
23:30
and it's the Essence Festival of
23:32
cultures because in 2018 in partnership
23:34
with mayor Cantrell we decided that we
23:36
wanted to represent a larger spectrum of
23:38
how black is existing not just music so
23:41
there are over 30 experiences that
23:43
happen outside of the Superdome that are
23:46
focused on other things we care about as
23:48
black people right whether it be
23:50
Wellness house whether it be the men's
23:51
experience called in his Zone that'll
23:53
have his second time this year right
23:55
whether it be about what we're doing
23:56
with beauty whether it be about what
23:58
we're doing with our economic status for
24:00
the global black economic Forum we want
24:02
to represent the full spectrum of Black
24:04
come have your fun at the Superdome get
24:06
you a little culture here contribute a
24:08
little thing here and do all of that
24:09
together and we have a million square
24:11
feet in the convention center that we
24:12
fill with experiences there in the year
24:15
of hip-hop what you will get to do in
24:17
that million square feet is walk around
24:18
and have all these super dope nostalgic
24:20
moments because anybody who's setting up
24:22
in the in the convention center heard
24:24
from me you need to show up and do
24:25
something connected to hip-hop if you
24:27
ain't doing that don't come so you're
24:28
going to see door knockers be a maid
24:30
don't
24:32
right like all of this stuff that'll
24:34
just give you a million square feet of
24:36
hip-hop Nostalgia that will extend
24:38
beyond what you'll do on this stage
24:39
right and we're really excited about
24:40
that also people don't know
24:42
Essence Ventures includes we acquired
24:45
BeautyCon and we acquired afropunk right
24:47
huge so afropunk is showing up in
24:50
festival with a skate park wow so
24:52
afropunk will be there with the skate
24:54
park as we continue to say that black is
24:55
not a monolith and they're doing a crew
24:57
ball so Mardi Gras Cruise afropunks
24:59
doing a crew ball there
25:01
we have BeautyCon that we also acquired
25:03
that will take over Beauty Carnival and
25:04
and because BeautyCon is not just black
25:06
it's Multicultural this will be the only
25:08
black BeautyCon during the festival with
25:11
the samples for those that used to love
25:12
them we have SM Studios right that will
25:15
come and bring the film festival back
25:17
the Food and Wine Festival is here right
25:19
we're also going to be doing a screening
25:21
of the time of essence documentary
25:23
that's being finished that is about the
25:25
50 years of essence and so we'll do a
25:27
screening of that during the festival
25:28
that people will catch it later in the
25:29
fall and it's full place so the piece
25:31
that I would say is yes we are
25:33
celebrating hip-hop on the stage but the
25:34
extension of what will be different for
25:36
500 000 people this time is that you
25:38
will get to feel it everywhere you will
25:40
get to feel it everywhere and take it in
25:42
everywhere and then it's still virtual
25:43
too we did virtually virtual too 2020 we
25:46
did 45 million full streams views 2021
25:49
65 million full stream views so now you
25:51
say we're going to put virtual and live
25:53
together
25:54
find another place you can do that at
25:56
Caroline wine girl ladies and gentlemen
25:58
you're doing it
25:59
only been here a couple of years look
26:01
what she's done along with her amazing
26:04
team yes yes it is done with the team
26:06
it's done with the team
26:08
um listen Fourth of July weekend
26:10
celebrate the Essence Festival culture
26:12
yes Caroline Wenger you come up here
26:14
anytime you know what I appreciate that
26:16
that's an open invite please do and
26:18
y'all come to us anytime yeah yeah I've
26:21
never even been to Essence that's so
26:23
crazy this is to be a perfect time to go
26:25
we might have to do a broadcast or
26:27
something yeah yeah Baku
26:42
um you said something that kind of hit
26:44
close to home to me about being stuck
26:47
and feeling stuck and thank you for
26:48
confirmation I just want to be obedient
26:50
and say that to you
26:52
um but my parents was 16 and 17 years
26:54
older than me and I had a lot of
26:57
conversations with my mom before her
26:59
transition about her life
27:02
um can you share a little bit because
27:04
you I would say so close to age with
27:08
your child
27:09
um what is parenting like or how's it
27:12
been for you you know I I honor that you
27:15
asked that question
27:16
um I'll give you the three stages
27:19
the first one was fear and and Rebellion
27:23
when I had when I
27:25
I thought my best friend was pregnant we
27:27
went to get her tested and I found out I
27:29
was pregnant so like there was no it was
27:31
literally like that right like I didn't
27:33
have any inkling I was on a track
27:34
scholarship so it was extremely
27:36
disruptive
27:37
to everything that that I wanted to go
27:39
be Jackie Joe and Chris he don't look
27:40
like now but I used to be like that fit
27:42
right so so
27:44
the first round for me was I'm just not
27:48
gonna fail We're not gonna be a
27:50
statistic I don't care what I got to do
27:51
I'm not going to be what everybody
27:53
thinks I'm gonna be as a 17 year old mom
27:55
and daughter
27:56
so I was fueled by defiance and
27:59
Rebellion
28:00
while that's positive it wasn't a
28:03
healthy way to go about it because I was
28:05
fighting daily versus living daily and I
28:10
became obsessed with proving that we
28:12
were not gonna fail and I think I became
28:14
stoic
28:16
as a parent because I just had this
28:18
other Mission and so I had this
28:20
beautiful little girl she's adorable one
28:22
of my favorite humans on Earth Cadence
28:24
but I was Raising her in defiance of
28:27
what I thought people were saying and so
28:29
it was very stoic and clinical is the
28:32
way that I would describe it it wasn't
28:34
relational if that makes sense she took
28:37
care I was her mom but it was it was
28:38
like a she's got to eat because nobody's
28:40
gonna say she didn't eat today she's got
28:42
to be clean because nobody's gonna say I
28:43
can't keep her clean like that was my
28:45
parenting mode right then there was a
28:48
phase where
28:50
um
28:50
I became obsessed with the fact that she
28:53
wouldn't have a sibling and her dad and
28:55
I didn't get married
28:57
so what that era did was trying to find
29:01
a husband and a father for her
29:04
which led to just not good dating
29:06
relationships right but because the
29:09
purpose was I'm now I'm not going to be
29:11
a single parent she gonna have a good
29:12
daddy she gonna do right so now I became
29:15
obsessed with auditioning
29:18
new fathers mm-hmm
29:20
right
29:22
which again
29:23
human
29:25
not necessarily relational
29:27
the third phase was guilt
29:31
the third phase was when she was playing
29:33
volleyball for example on a on a a
29:37
traveling team
29:38
and all the moms would host spaghetti
29:41
dinners at their house bake potatoes for
29:44
the concession stand decorate their
29:46
locker because they didn't work during
29:49
the day
29:50
and what I could do was give a hundred
29:52
dollars to the to the booster club but I
29:55
had to go to work
29:56
and and she would come home and want me
29:59
to do the things that those other
30:01
parents were doing and I couldn't
30:03
because I had to go to work
30:05
and so now was guilt about not being
30:08
able to be this mom standard that that
30:11
was the center of her Sports career and
30:14
her Talent career
30:17
the last phase is what I'm in now my she
30:20
moved to New York
30:22
um last year
30:24
and
30:25
we are rebuilding a friendship
30:28
awesome right like we are hanging out
30:31
and and going to do things together and
30:35
and both her and I have done our inner
30:37
work
30:38
we have just decided to rebuild a
30:41
friendship because birth both her and I
30:44
have trauma from that decision
30:48
at 17. we have lived through three
30:52
phases of forced activity
30:56
she's 26.
30:58
went to NYU got her degree in
31:01
engineering my exercise was I would
31:03
celebrate psychological birthdays to try
31:05
to get my chronological age and my
31:07
psychological age to get together she
31:10
did Hearst through therapy and now we
31:13
are just friends and it's so refreshing
31:16
this is where I'm now seeing the benefit
31:18
of there only being 17 years in between
31:21
us yeah it's so much fun to hang out
31:25
with her and she's stupid like stupid
31:27
like
31:29
that like the fun stupid yeah right and
31:33
I'm
31:33
and I'm just not realizing how alike we
31:37
are like the sarcasm I give the world
31:39
she returns tenfold to me and so it's
31:42
just been so much fun to become her
31:45
friend and she hated my jobs for a long
31:47
time because I'd have these public jobs
31:48
and everybody like you're Caroline's
31:50
daughter she'd be like no I'm Cadence
31:51
right she hated living under that her
31:53
2023 new year's resolution was Embrace
31:56
nepotism
32:02
[Music]
32:09
so literally she told me on New Year's
32:11
Eve that her New Year's resolution was
32:12
embraced nepotism I said let's go so
32:15
we're just we're having fun but I
32:17
appreciate the question and that's the
32:18
honest answer and thank you for sharing
32:20
thank you you're amazing this is an
32:24
amazing human being yes she is she's an
32:27
amazing Spirit give it up for Caroline
32:29
Wanga Essence Festival Fourth of July
32:33
weekend get your tickets
32:39
there you go Miss Lauren Hill Jermaine
32:42
Dupree beyond cold
32:44
Jones Come on yes
32:47
and Janelle James yes Dougie fresh man
32:51
to stallion yes
32:53
okay come get you some of this Blackness
32:55
there you go Caroline thank you for
32:57
coming by thank you for what you do
32:58
thank you
33:02
coming up next we got Janelle Monae
33:06
yeah
33:07
okay
33:09
Shay 45.
33:12
foreign
33:15
foreign
#Arts & Entertainment