Mary J. Blige at 2008 Essence Festival

Organizers of the annual Essence Music Festival have announced some of the acts that will take part in the 2008 festival, July 4-6.

The acts will include Kanye West, Chris Rock, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Morris Day and The Time, and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.

Essence is billed as "the nation's largest annual African-American event celebrating black music and culture." An estimated 200,000 people attended the festival last year when it returned to New Orleans.

The event has become an annual summer celebration in New Orleans, although it was held in Houston in 2006 because the city was still early in its recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Tickets start at $56. Details at http://www.essence.com/essence/emf/.