Bobby Brown and New Edition are getting back together — at least for one night, anyway.
Brown and the rest of the old-school boy band are scheduled to perform together at the Essence Music Festival, which will be held July 1-3 in Houston. Other performers announced Monday include Diddy, who will host a “Diddy and Friends” show, and singers Jaheim and Chris Brown.
Brown left the group, best known for hits like “Mr. Telephone Man” and “Cool It Now,” back in the 1980s for his solo career, and since then has only performed with the group sporadically.
Other performers already slated for the festival include Mary J. Blige, Steve Harvey, LL Cool J, Earth, Wind & Fire, Yolanda Adams and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.
The Essence Music Festival originated in 1995 in New Orleans and became an annual event, held at the Superdome. But with the Superdome badly damaged from Hurricane Katrina and much of the city’s black population scattered due to the catastrophe, Essence — the magazine geared toward black women — decided to temporarily move the festival to Houston.
Oscar-winner and hitmaker Jamie Foxx has also been tapped to participate in the festival’s “Now or Never” empowerment seminars, along with Magic Johnson and actor Shemar Moore. This year’s seminars will focus on helping those devastated by Hurricane Katrina.