Beyonce, Ne-Yo Honor Michael Jackson At Essence Festival

Beyonce shows video of herself at 5 imitating MJ. By Rahman Dukes Beyoncé performs at the Essence Music Festival on Friday Photo: Soul Brother/FilmMagic On a weekend when some of today's biggest R&B; stars collided with the genre's legendary singers to celebrate the 15th annual Essence Music Festival, one common topic was consistent throughout the events: of course, Michael Jackson. The three-day event, which celebrates African-American culture in the heart of New Orleans with a series of workshops and music showcases, boasted a lineup that included Ne-Yo , John Legend , Robin Thicke and Beyoncé , along with veterans such as Lionel Richie (who reunited with the Commodores), Anita Baker and Frankie Beverly and Maze, all of whom paid homage to Jackson. The festival kicked off on Friday evening with a video tribute of Jackson as a live band played a number of his hits against a 20 foot backdrop of the fallen star. The tribute was followed by sets from Ne-Yo ... (link)