Tonight at 8 p.m. CST, VH1 Soul (Channel 362 on Cox Cable) presents a new episode of Soul Cities with Nelson George, this time featuring New Orleans. The segment was filmed during the Essence Music Festival weekend and features Terrence Blanchard, Kermit Ruffins, DJ Soul Sister, Irma Thomas, Lil Wayne and Raheem DeVaughn (not from here, but he performed at EMF).

Speaking of Essence, in honor of the festival’s upcoming 15th anniversary, select tickets are available for a 15 percent discount from December 1 to January 31 at Ticketmaster.com. This year’s Essence Fest will have Beyonce as its headliner.