5 Of The Dopest Music Festivals You Should Definitely Pull Up On This Year
Coachella is dope and all, but my real music connoisseurs know that Indio, California isn't the only place to get your life during festival season, and xoNecole has all the details on which ones you should pull up on before 2020 comes to an end.
Scroll below for the details:
Something In The Water
Who We Can't Wait To See: 6LACK, Usher, Chance The Rapper, H.E.R., Mereba, Nelly, Pharrell, Kali Uchis, Rico Nasty, Snoh Aalegra, Tank and The Bangas, Trey Songz, Tierra Whack
When: April 20-26
Where: Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Tier one and two general admission tickets are already sold out fo this festival but you can still purchase tier three tickets for $250 plus fees or VIP tickets for $600 plus fees.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Who We Can't Wait To See: Erykah Badu, Lizzo, H.E.R., Tank and The Bangas, Anthony Hamilton, PJ Morton, Big Freedia
When: April 23-May 3
Where: New Orleans, Louisiana
Price: First-weekend advance tickets for April 23-26 are currently $75 but will be an additional $10 at the gate. Tickets for Saturday start at $90 and the same applies for the following weekend but you can snag an advance four-day weekend pass for $275. For both Thursday night concerts, New Orleans locals can get access to the festival for only $50.
Rolling Loud Festival
Who We Can't Wait To See: DaBaby, Doja Cat, Big Sean, T-Pain, Rico Nasty, Megan Thee Stallion, City Girls, Wale, DaniLeigh, Saweetie
When: May 8-10, 2020
Where: Miami, Florida
Price: Three-day general admission tickets are currently waitlisted, but general admission+ tickets start at $499 plus an additional $100 fee. You can also still snag VIP tickets, which includes expedited entry, a private bar, and free makeup touch-ups, that start at $749 plus a $150 fee or upgrade your experience to add complimentary meals for an additional $200.
2020 Lovers & Friends Festival
Who We Can't Wait To See: Ms. Lauryn Hill, Usher, Lil' Kim, Mya, Jhene Aiko, TLC, Amerie, Tweet, Nelly, Summer Walker, Eve, Trina, Brandy, Doja Cat
When: May 8-9, 2020
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Price: Tickets for the Lovers & Friends Festival are currently sold out but you can join the waitlist here.
ESSENCE Festival
Who We Can't Wait To See: Janet Jackson, Ari Lennox, Janelle Monae, Bruno Mars, Patti Labelle, Raphael Saadiq, Jidenna, Tamia, Rapsody, SIR, Saweetie, Goldlink, Kiana Lede,
When: July 1-5, 2020
Where: New Orleans, LA
Price: Superdome general admission tickets are currently on sale for $186 and include a 3-night concert experience while VIP Gold and Platinum tickets start at $2,750 and $3,000 respectively. You and your crew can get extra bad and bougie by upgrading to a VIP Entertainment Power Pass for $3,900 or a VIP All-Event pass for an additional $500. ESSENCE also offers a travel package that will help you book your ideal stay for the weekend here.
Featured image by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Russell and Nina Westbrook Dish On The Key Ways To Avoid Resentment In Relationships
Russell and Nina Westbrook are one of those low-key, unproblematic couples we don’t talk about enough. They met in college and got married in 2015. They also have a beautiful family with three kids. While Russell is an NBA star, Nina is a licensed family and marriage therapist and a mental health advocate.
She recently launched the podcast The Relationship Chronicles with Nina Westbrook, and in the latest episode, she had none other than her husband on as a guest. The college sweethearts dived into important topics from marriage to children and how they navigate it all.
One of the topics they touched on was dealing with resentment in your relationship. The former MVP highlighted the sacrifices his wife has had to make in order for him to pursue a career in the NBA, and that’s why it’s also important for him to support his wife whenever he can.
“For me is respecting and understanding what your partner do and the time it takes,” Russell said. “Not kind of downplaying what they do, understanding the time and energy and effort they're doing to make sure whether it’s their job or making sure home is taken care of, and understanding that, I think that is the challenge of not being resentful.”
Nina agreed and also shared her thoughts on resentment. According to her, one of the best things couples should do is have their own identity and passions outside of the relationship in an effort to be fulfilled.
“I also think that when you’re in a relationship, that’s why it’s so important that each individual kinda pursue their own passions and follow their own dreams as I feel like it only becomes or leads to resentment when one person is not feeling fulfilled in what they're doing in their lives,” she explained.
“And so, they will start to look at the other partner who’s happy or excelling or promoting or moving along in their journey, then they’re left feeling stuck like they sacrificed themselves, their happiness, their career, their future and have not pursued it in the name of the relationship or their partner. So, it’s so much easier to avoid those feelings of resentment when you’re each equally pursuing your passions.”
The couple has many passions that they work on together and separately. Outside of basketball and his family, Russell has become known for his eclectic style and started the fashion brand Honor The Gift. Nina has her podcast, and she also started the mental health website Bene. Together, they run the Why Not? Foundation, which works with kids in underserved communities.
“I’m a firm believer that one person can’t be everything to you, so you have to sort of seek out those different friendships or groups or hobbies or activities that help to fulfill you,” Nina concluded.
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Feature image by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Religion of Sports
