The 9th Annual Roots Picnic Was a Blast! (Visuals)
The 9th Annual Roots Picnic , which took place on Saturday, June 4th, always happens on what seems to feel like the hottest day of the year! We’re talking intense smoldering heat! The lineup was pretty incredible, and the time seemed to fly by quickly as you navigated between acts. The performance toppers were Anderson .Paak and Usher with The Roots, with surprise guest appearances from the Philly natives, Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, who came out during Willow Smith‘s set to perform the 90s classic “Summertime.” Would have doubly appreciated Papa Kravitz stopping by to support Lolawolf. The super stylish Nigerian artist, Jidenna, gave a high-energy performance. True to DMX form, his performance was hyped and by the time he came on was when the sun was on full blast. He seems happy to be on stage, stating that the Roots audience was better than having sex. (Raised brows.) The night was not on Future‘s side, however. Halfway through his set, his mic went out and he exited the stage. Moments later his DJ returned and started to pack his equipment, which caused the audience to get rowdy, throwing beer cans and plastic bottles at the stage. Ouch! Kehlani came with that sexy flow for the fellas but it was Usher with The Roots that tore the place down. The Roots have a certain je ne sais quoi that will forever set them apart from rap crews and/or bands. They were able to keep the music Usher, but add their flavour of funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, dance – they did it all, and Usher interpreted everything with his flawless vocals. He had the women hanging onto every note. While singing “You Got It Bad,” and he sings, “I’m fortunate to have you girl, I want you to know, I truly adore you,” The Roots launched into Prince’s “Adore” and Usher sang, “Until the end of time, I’ll be there for you, you own my heart and mind, I truly adore you.” Just beautiful. Not without any surprises, he brought out Yuna to sing “Crush” and for his smash hit, “Yeah Yeah Yeah!” Lil Jon graced the stage.
The music festival plans to extend to New York City, Bryant Park, October 1st and 2nd this year. The two-day festival will include friends of The Roots (which is damn near everybody!), but we can be assured D’Angelo and John Mayer will grace the stage. David Byrne, Nile Rodgers, and the entire Wu-Tang Clan will be a few of the guests for day two. Definitely a hot ticket event to attend, as Bryant Park is quite small in comparison to Penns Landing in Philadelphia. Tickets will range from between $99-$175. Check out some of pics and videos below.
Roseann V. Warren
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