Since the summer of 2008, legendary hip-hop group and Philadelphia’s hometown legend The Roots have put on the Roots Picnic, a music festival created and curated by the band that has evolved into one of the city’s most anticipated cultural experiences of the year.
The 2024 Roots Picnic opened its doors on Saturday, June 1, to the masses who filled the grounds of Fairmount Park in the City of Brotherly Love. Several brand activations had treats for guests, including French liqueur brand Grand Marnier, Charmin’, Chase Sapphire and more. Beyond the music, the festival has become a platform for social commentary and community engagement. This year, Roots Picnic Con featured panelists discussing music education, real estate and beauty careers, as well as a keynote conversation with renowned Roots drummer Questlove.
Jill Scott, Nas, Sexyy Red and more set the bar high on the first day of the 2024 Roots Picnic. Early acts such as BLK ODYSSY, Chioke, and more graced the festival stages before the crowds were treated to an afternoon of electrifying performances. Acclaimed DJ J.PERIOD brought his beloved THE LIVE MIXTAPE series to The Roots Picnic with Black Thought, Method Man, Redman, Common, Freeway, Ferg, and more.
Following that performance, The-Dream hit his trademark vocals and succulent R&B aura. The-Dream wasted no time letting people know he is a true R&B hitmaker with smooth renditions of “Fancy,” “Falsetto,” “Purple Kisses,” and more. Fans were enamored with the quick trip down memory lane and were left wanting more.
Nas then took over the main stage to perform his legendary catalog, even bringing out Ghostface Killah as a special surprise guest. He ripped through some of his classic hits such as “N.Y. State of Mind,” “The Message,” “Spicy,” “Get Down.”
The biggest part of Day 1 was the arrival of Sexyy Red with her dancers and secret service team. The St. Louis native brought her brand of rowdy and raunchy hip-hop to The Roots Picnic and turned it upside down, with fans screaming and twerking the night away.
Jill Scott closed out Day 1 with her headlining set, which featured a floral stage design. For her set, Scott performed “Hate on Me,” “Whatever,” “The Way,” “You Got Me” with Black Thought, a new track titled “Norf Philly” alongside Tierra Wack, and more.
The artists performing on Day 2 kept the momentum going from the previous day. On the bill were acts such as Robert Glasper, Shaboozey, Wale, BabyFace, Cam’Ron, André 3000, Gunna, Lil Wayne, and the hometown heroes, The Roots.
Rising country music star Shaboozey had the early afternoon crowd rocking at the Fairmount Stage with tracks off his newly released album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, blasting through the speakers.
Babyface, the legendary singer/songwriter let the crowd know why he’s been at the top of his game for over five decades. In addition to his own records, such as “Everytime I Close My Eyes” and “For the Cool in You,” Face dipped into his immense bag and performed incredible renditions of tracks he’s written over the years for artists such as Bobby Brown, After 7, Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, TLC, Toni Braxton and more.
Following up after Babyface , but Gunna picked up the mantle and deliver his swagger injected brand of hip-hop. The Atlanta native took the stage and wasted no time getting into his set with electrifying renditions of “back at it,” “whatsapp (wassam),” “P power,” and “fukumean.” Unfortunately, fans were vibing for a limited time as Wunna’s set was cut short for undisclosed reasons.
With all the amazing performances spread out across two days, The Roots had to send the massive crowd home truly entertained with their headlining set. The hometown natives used their closing set to honor New Orleans, Louisiana, and its rich music history by having the city’s most talented artists, such as Trombone Shorty, Lloyd, and PJ Morton, join them onstage.
While fans were enjoying the New Orleans sounds, it was obvious they were anticipating the arrival of the man of the hour, Lil Wayne. Tunechi glided effortlessly through his set with fans screaming at the top of their lungs to hits like “Mr. Carter,” “John,” “I’m Goin In,” and more. It was a marvelous ending to a rather eventful weekend in the city of Brotherly Love. The Roots Picnic 2024 surely did it again.
