This time, The Roots will celebrate the 10th annual Roots Picnic, loved by both local Philly as well as national music lovers.
Created and hosted by popular American hip-hop group, The Roots, Roots Picnic is an annual music festival that takes place at Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. In the past, the event has hosted popular hip-hop artists like Snoop Dogg, Public Enemy, and The Weeknd, among others. Last year, Future, Usher, and Leon Bridges headlined the event
This year, the event will feature Pharrell, who will team up with The Roots for a collaborative set. Rapper Lil Wayne, Solange (Beyonce’s sister), 21 Savage, and Kimba will also headline the event. Producer/bassist Thundercat, old school rap legend Pete Rock, and British acid jazz DJ Gilles Petersen will also join the (so far) 19-artist bill. Speaking with the Philly Inquirer, Roots co-founder Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter said,
“This definitely speaks to the staying power of The Roots and the uniqueness of the Picnic as a good festival. Not many music festivals last, have a 10 year run or hold such validity and stay consistently good-and-getting better.”
Two of the events at Roots Picnic involve Trotter alone. The first will involve his now-annual, morning-of-the-concert Black Thought/Roots Rock 5K charity run for the GrassROOTS foundation. The second event is the Black Thought & J Period Live Mixtape showcase. The event is an improvisational DJ/MC set first developed in 2016 during The Roots’ first New York City-based Picnic. Trotter said,
“It was a big hit in New York and now every time we do a Picnic, just like my 5K, this live mixtape will be part of the proceedings.”
Rappers Fat Joe and Mobb Deep will join keyboardist-turned-mega-producer Scott Storch. One of Storch’s biggest tracks, Lean Back, will get a live airing as part of Thought’s Live Mixtape. Trotter said,
“This is the official original Roots reunion with Philly’s own Scott Storch.”
Trotter teased “many other surprise tracks and additional unannounced guests.”
“That’s what makes a Roots Picnic great – the performances we have planned and the ones that just happen.”
You can see the line-up announced so far for the 10th annual show below.
Pharrell & The Roots
Lil Wayne aka Mixtape Weezy
Solange
21 Savage
Kimbra
Black Thought & J Period Live Mixtape Featuring Fat Joe, Mobb Deep, Scott Storch
Virgil Abloh
Pete Rock
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
James Vincent McMorrow
Noname
Gilles Peterson Featuring Mc Earl Zinger
Khalid
Michael Kiwanuka
DJ Spinna
PNB Rock
Tunji Ige
Quite Hype
DJ N.O.C.
