| THIS PAST WEEKEND FEATURED THE MOST DYNAMIC LINEUP YET WITH THE ROOTS AND LIL WAYNE’S MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO NEW ORLEANS + JILL SCOTT, ANDRÉ 3000, SEXYY RED, NAS, GUNNA, AND SURPRISE APPEARANCES BY TIERRA WHACK, LLOYD, FERG, BILAL, GHOSTFACE KILLAH & COMMON GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO PRESENTS THE ROOTS WITH PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHILADELPHIA’S ARTS, ARTS EDUCATION & ECONOMY 2ND ANNUAL ROOTS PICNIC CON AND “BLACK THOUGHT PRESENTS DELIRIOUS” COMEDY SERIES KICKED OFF THE FESTIVITIES ON FRIDAY NIGHT |
| (Lil Wayne at Roots Picnic, credit: Taylor Hill – hi-res download HERE) (Philadelphia, PA) June 3, 2023 – Over the past weekend, GRAMMY® Award-winning multi-platinum hip-hop luminaries The Roots hosted and co-headlined the biggest installment of the Roots Picnic to date at The Mann at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA, with over 60,000 attendees across Saturday and Sunday. Dubbed “hip-hop’s greatest festival” by Rolling Stone, the weekend marked a beautiful celebration of culture, art, music, and the city of brotherly love. See general use photos of the sets and atmospheric shots of the festival HERE and HERE (credits in file names). The sold-out festivities commenced on Friday, May 31st with the return of the 2nd Annual Roots Picnic Con at the Fillmore Philadelphia. The conference included panel discussions powered by The Recording Academy, Cannabis Workers Union, Live Nation, Phor Essentials, and featured panelists such as Questlove, Marsha Ambrosius, and many more. That night, Black Thought returned with his standup comedy series “Black Thought Presents Delirious” at Punchline Philly, with surprise appearances from comedians from around the country. On Saturday, history was made as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle Parker both attended, and Shapiro presented The Roots with a proclamation recognizing their contributions to the city of Philadelphia’s arts, arts education, and economy. Additionally, hometown powerhouse Jill Scott, coming off the heels of a massive 20th anniversary tour for her seminal debut album Who Is Jill Scott?, closed out the evening with some of her greatest hits, along with a surprise debut of her brand new collaboration “Norf Philly” with special guest performer Tierra Whack. And that’s not all: J.Period, Black Thought, Method Man, and Redman welcomed FERG, Amir Ali, ReeCee, E.Ness, Freeway, and the legendary Common to the stage as special guests during the collaborative, J. Period Live Mixtape set. Nas welcomed old friend Ghostface Killah onto the stage during his electrifying set. Sexyy Red, The-Dream, Smino, October London, and more brought in packed crowds throughout day one. |
On day two, The Roots curated a special tribute to New Orleans filled with nods to the city’s rich musical history and culture, including a horn-filled second line entrance that set the tone for a lively set. Joining The Roots on stage were PJ Morton, Trombone Shorty, and special guest performer Lloyd, creating memorable moments for their fans—all before Lil Wayne took to the stage for a set of classics from a decades-long career as one of the best rappers alive. Among other icons, André 3000 performed a transcendent improvised set in support of his acclaimed solo debut New Blue Sun, and Gunna returned to Philadelphia as one of the weekend’s marquee acts. Shaboozey made his Roots Picnic debut a memorable one by playing his #1 hit single, “Tipsy (A Bar Song)” twice, and R&B impresario Babyface played a stacked medley of his material and the era-defining hits he wrote for artists like Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, and Bobby Brown. Day two of the impressive and eclectic festival also saw stirring performances from musical director Adam Blackstone featuring Fantasia, Wale, Robert Glasper featuring Yebba (with special guests Bilal and James Poyser), Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and more throughout the weekend.
Famed artist Al-Baseer Holly returned to the Roots Picnic for his third consecutive year featuring his “Step Into The Realm” Art Exhibition, and the 3rd annual Roots Picnic Spades Tournament, hosted by World Series of Spades creator and comedian Clint Coley, drew crowds, in addition to other curated activations from experiential agency ASAP! Creative Management. The festival concourse was rounded out by the DoorDash Food Village, Cause Village with local businesses and non-profits, Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge (exclusive to Sapphire Reserve cardmembers),the Roots Picnic Roller Rink and Wellness Lounge, and so much more.
Additional events throughout Roots Picnic included the inaugural Roots Picnic LGBTQ+ Pride Party presented by Houses of Luv & Philly Black Pride at the Foundry on Thursday May 30th, the Roots Picnic Kickoff Party at Brooklyn Bowl on Friday May 31st, and DJ Aktive Presents Chill Vibes: The Official Roots Picnic Brunch Experience in partnership with Tres Generaciones on Sunday, June 2 at Mei Mei.
Since launching in 2007, The Roots Picnic has stood at the intersection of music and culture, entertaining, engaging, and enlightening millions of fans along the way. Its dynamic lineups have included everyone from The Weeknd, Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, Phantogram, Usher, Nas, A$AP Rocky, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Future to Vampire Weekend, The War On Drugs, Gary Clark, Jr., Solange, Diplo, Gnarls Barkley, and more. Roots Picnic isn’t just a capstone of the group’s career, but a cornerstone of the culture.
This year’s Roots Picnic has been made possible with support from our partners, AppleTV+, American Red Cross, Baileys, BeatBox, Charmin, Chase Sapphire, Converse, DoorDash, Dunkin’ FujiFilm, Grand Marnier, Jack Daniel’s, Monster, Reser’s Fine Foods, The Mann Center, Smirnoff Ice, Stella Artois, and White Claw.