https://www.okayplayer.com/music/roots-picnic-2023-linuep.html

Diddy & Ms. Lauryn Hill Are Headlining Roots Picnic 2023

MUSIC

DIMAS SANFIORENZO
Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer.



Roots Picnic 2023 is back with performances from Ms. Lauryn Hill , Diddy, Lil Uzi Vert, and more.


The Roots Picnic will be returning to The Mann in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. And, for year 15, they are returning with a monster lineup.

On Monday, The Roots announced the festival lineup for their festival: headlining the festival will be Ms. Lauryn Hill, who will be celebrating 25 years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; the co-headliner will be Diddy, who will perform a career spanning set backed by The Roots. Also attached to the lineup is Dave Chappelle, who will be performing a special stand-up comedy performance at the Wells Fargo Center.


IG

diddy
Verified
I’ve ripped down stages all around the world and now I’m doing my first @ROOTSPICNIC!! Make sure you pull up! I’m putting together a very special show! Not that regular degular! I don’t have time to play!! We’re going to fuck that stage up!

Presale Tickets on sale tomorrow at 12pm ET at therootspicnic.com with code: LNU23. S/O @livenationurban!




Also performing at the festival: Ari Lennox, City Girls, Lucky Daye, SYD, Little Brother, Glorilla, and more.

Per usual, the festival features a bunch of hometown love: Lil Uzi Vert is a headliner; Eve will make an appearance during J. Period and Black Thought’s Live Mixtape set; DJ Drama will be in the house; and there will be a State Property Reunion featuring all of the members.

Roots Picnic isn’t just music, of course. There’s also a podcast stage. Yes, Questlove will be doing a live episode of Questlove Supreme, but there will also be podcast episodes Off the Record with DJ Akademiks, Lip Service w Angela Yee, People’s Party W/ Talib Kwli, and more.


A fan club presale launches tomorrow, February 21 at noon ET. General on-sale will follow on Wednesday, February 22 at 10 AM ET. For weekend tickets and VIP packages check here

Check out the entire lineup below.

Ms. Lauryn Hill

Diddy & The Roots

Dave Chappelle

lil uzi vert

Ari Lennox

City Girls

Maverick City

DJ Drama

Saucy Santana

Uncle Waffles

Lucy Daye

Syd

Glorilla

Soulquarians Icons Set: Isley Brothers, Roy Ayers

J.Period Live Mixtape: Black Thought, Eve, Busta Rhymes

DVSN

Kindred

The Family Soul

Spinall


Adam Blackstone with special guests Mary Mary, Coco Jones

Baller Alert presents Go Go: Rare Essence, Backyard Band

State Property Reunion: Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Young Gunz, Peedi Crakk, Oschino & Sparks

Little Brother

Yussef Dayes Experience

Symba

Fridayy

Mike Phillips

Rocky

DJ Diamond Kuts

DJ Aktive

Dappa

Akin Inaj & Inutech

Podcast stage: Charlamagne the god, off the record with DJ Akademiks

Lip service with Angela Yee, Questlove supreme, Don't call me white girl. People's party w/ Talib Kweli

Pour Minds

Trap Nerds

The Office XIV

Love + Grit

Do we know who is playing on which days?

and lauryn is lydia tar with an adderal prescription

the last time they played together at the roots picnic, doug wimbash from living colour had to hold quest's hand through the entire set while lauryn pointed to her watch

>and lauryn is lydia tar with an adderal prescription

YES.

wow, might have to go to that. Rare Essence and Backyard, should be good.
Haven't seen Yussef Dayes yet.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There is much temptation to use what has worked before,
even when it may exceed its effective scope."

"Roll me further bitch"

>wow, might have to go to that. Rare Essence and Backyard,
>should be good.

*insert george w bush 'fool me once...' quote*

ima catch the live stream lol.

I've seen the Fugees and I've seen Lauryn. I'd gladly pay to see the Fugees again, you couldn't give me a Lauryn ticket



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https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PYzh4v9cSf4FDnq3yMQyqNqh79o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale%28%29/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4079674/jlio.0.gif

Look, I’m not gonna go. I live in LA. Even if I wanted to go, I’m 100% over festivals.

BUT.

I love when people elevate the typical lineups. I love when they do something new. And this lineup is so amazingly dope. The jokes are for a reason but if Ms Hill shows up, and all the artists heed Quests advice on festivals? This’ll be dope. I’m envious of you who can go!

there were a lot of issues for several festivals/events throughout the year.

i went to the roots picnic and made in america in philly last year and they were both off their usual game.

i remember people complaining on twitter during several rolling loud city stops.

and the sound was fucked up for some of the performances i watched from coachella on the live stream.

it looks like it was a down year across the board.

Since the Roots Picnic has moved…it’s gotten more disorganized and it moved prior to the pandemic…

I’m leaning towards sitting this one out…

i went in 2019 and dont remember any widespread issues. care to elaborate?

and the next 2 years were virtual before 2022. those were scripted/recorded beforehand so no hiccups.

so it's only been 2 live events at the fairmount park location. 1 pre-pandemic.

I remember that because I ended up backstage on accident...long story on that one...

I ended up buying my tickets...going to be my last one...

people in the crowd reacted to a fight/gunshot and started running.

that shit happens all the time at public gatherings everywhere.

The stampede was not their fault…but there were a lot of folks that walked in that venue without a ticket that year…

It was better in 2022…they just had challenges in keeping the set times on schedule…

From 2011-2016…it was better organized than it is now…that’s all…

Besides the cost of it being higher too…with Ticketmaster fees and all that…

Of all the artists Quest has access to he landed on...Diddy?


WTF?


If you're going to sell your soul at least pick a more relevant/timely artist. Or, you know, an actual artist period.



Diddy? lol


Fallon's house band backing Diddy. My how things have changed.

probabaly gonna be fuego, esp w/ the right guest spots.

I mean Diddy's stuff is heavily sample based or interpolations and The Roots MURDER that shit live.

The man has a catalog.

Now - is the the most important person on MOST of those songs? Nah, not really. But whatever. He's got them. I saw the Bad Boy Reunion show years ago and he opened with Victory - a song that Biggie OBVIOUSLY wasnt there for, and Busta wasn't either. He played their verses on video screens. And that shit felt awesome.

He's not a great anything, but he puts his all into performances and that's sometimes all you need for a fun ass experience at a live show. If you don't think the Roots can put together an incredible live mixtape feel of Diddy hits, you're wrong.

i agree with the post above he'll definitely bring out some great guests. i say this as someone who doesn't like Diddy as a human being or artist.

in the club/parties.

i could never hate on diddy.

the roots are gonna kill that set with to he blends/transitions/samples.

If it wasn't for Puffy, both Big and Pac would be here imo.

Probably a few others as well.


Plenty of acts that could deliver nostalgia and hits. Like...say...Usher. lol

when i clicked the link from the email i don't see an option to buy the chappelle tickets either. i know it's a separate purchase but i don't see anywhere to get them, at least from the link i got from the Roots picnic email.

Yep

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

The Miseducation performance was good but she really started snapping when Clef and Pras came out.

Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com

Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com

Were they backed by the ROOTS?

Could Lauryn keep up with Quest's drumming because someone here suggested she could not keep up with Quest's drumming style.

Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com

cam from crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/@ConcertLivestreams/videos

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/roots-picnic-lauryn-hill-fugees-1234744683/

PHILLY SOUL

How the Roots Picnic Became Hip-Hop’s Greatest Festival

The Philadelphia party, which celebrated its 15th anniversary this year with Lil Uzi Vert, a surprise Fugees reunion, and more, is all about community

BY ABE BEAME

JUNE 5, 2023

ON AN EARLY Saturday evening in Philadelphia, in a pastoral stretch of park known as the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Questlove is making time stand still. Onstage with him are Ronald Isley, wearing a patent-leather suit and looking ageless enough at 82 to make you think of Dorian Gray; Ernie Isley, playing a guitar solo with his teeth at a comparatively youthful 71; and the rest of the current-day iteration of the Isley Brothers, along with Questlove’s Roots bandmate Captain Kirk Douglas on guitar.

As Questlove begins playing the instantly recognizable drum pattern for America’s horny national anthem, “Footsteps in the Dark,” it’s clear that musicians like himself and Kirk aren’t strictly needed to handle these lovely, ancient compositions. But they’re up here nonetheless, keeping time and playing simple rhythms, despite being spread thin on what is probably the busiest weekend of their year, the three-day Roots Picnic. It’s obvious that they’re playing for fun, and for love.


The Roots first brought this festival to the band’s hometown in 2008, a lifetime ago for some of the people in attendance this year. “Take my daughter, for example, who’s 17 — this is all she knows as an indication of the beginning of summer,” says Tariq Trotter, a.k.a. Black Thought, when I reach the virtuosic Roots vocalist via Zoom from his backyard in Maplewood, New Jersey, a few days before the Picnic. “It’s just wild to think about… When we were holding the picnic on a hot slab of concrete, we aspired to one day be able to have it on a festival grounds like this one.”

This year, the festival boasted performances from Ms. Lauryn Hill (who ended up bringing out the rest of the Fugees), Lil Uzi Vert, Usher, Eve, Busta Rhymes, Ari Lennox, City Girls, GloRilla, and a reunion of the early-2000s Roc-A-Fella crew State Property that was the highlight of the lineup for every online rap head of a certain age. “This is a family affair,” Trotter continues. “That’s the vibe. But you know what’s crazy? Some of the artists that we bring out — people who I would think tend to perform for predominantly Black audiences on a larger scale — when they come out to the Roots Picnic, they’re in awe. It’s breathtaking for them to see that many Black people together in the city of Philadelphia at one event.”


In 2008, the Roots were already starting to think about the type of career shift that would make them the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon a few years later. But before they traded a life of constant touring for a steadier gig, they wanted to accomplish everything on their bucket list — which included their own music festival, a dream that dated back to the Nineties. “At the time, you only knew about Woodstock, Live Aid, Farm Aid, and Lollapalooza, where there was little room for Black culture,” says Questlove, a.k.a. Ahmir Thompson, who’s on the Zoom with Trotter and their longtime manager and current Live Nation Urban president Shawn Gee. “For Black people, there were always the cool jazz festivals, and that’s it. But when we got to Europe, it was way more eclectic and diverse. Our minds were blown. It was always, ‘Wouldn’t it be dope if we could bring this sort of thing back to the United States?’”

The first few Roots Picnics were smaller gatherings, where ticket sales were seemingly trumped by the massive guest lists. Fifteen years later, they sold upwards of 55,000 tickets to what is now a Philly institution. Walking the grounds on the festival’s first day, I see people dressed down for a cookout, and others who are dressed up for something akin to an all-day, outdoor, mid-Atlantic Met Gala. There are stocky self-identified Muslims with freshly manicured beards and shape-ups, and women with face piercings and chunky blonde dreads.


Events like the Roots Picnic are no longer alone. The market finally came to its senses and woke up to tremendous earning potential of more diverse types of festivals and arena shows. This is both a blessing for fans, and a challenge for established events like this one, who have to remain innovative and dynamic to compete. For the Roots, it meant doubling down on their principles. “As other festivals came into the market, we looked at what was not being served in the city of Philadelphia, and it was Black culture,” Shawn Gee says. “So we went deep into Black culture over the last couple of years, specifically mirroring the various genres of Black music that traditionally aren’t showcased at festivals.”

Something the Picnic has been remarkably successful in doing is cultivating a brand and a culture. Trotter, Thompson, and Gee book artists who serve as a reflection of their own eclectic taste and sense of history. When I attempt to articulate the quality that bonds the R&B divas, mixtape rappers, and soul legends that populate every Roots Picnic as the “thinking person’s” ideal of each genre, Ahmir puts it more directly: “They’re nerds.” It’s a bill full of disparate genres, separated by continents and generations, but united in a thoughtful, intellectual approach to their work, and the thoughtful, intellectual fanbase they’ve cultivated.

“You want to make sure you got the barbershop covered, people from the generation that hung around barbershops and would have four-hour conversations about a particular album,” Thompson continues. “Within the Roots circle, we are actually our demographic.”


“If there is a macro theme that even subconsciously went into the planning of the festival this year, it’s Philadelphia,” Trotter adds. “This is really the hometown music experience on every different level.”

Case in point: the momentous Saturday-afternoon reunion of State Property, the nerd’s favorite 2000s street-rap collective. The group made Philly a hotbed of talent around the turn of the century with their brand of alternately introspective and menacing (but always fun and radio-friendly) rap. It was a mixtape-era set, with most of the songs being performed over different beats (e.g. “Feel It in the Air” over “In the Air Tonight”). The loudest cheers and most love went to Sigel, State Property’s founder, point guard, and star quarterback. He played the set’s host, calling his group members to the stage one by one, each getting a showcase song and a hero’s welcome.


Beans and Freeway in particular have suffered harrowing personal and health-related tragedies over the last decade. The crowd was overwhelmingly supportive and appreciative as Beans fought through his verses, a lovefest thanking the collective for their indelible body of work, and the moment when they briefly put Philly on top of rap.

The slate also had room for a generation of Philly acts raised in the shadow of the Picnic. When Lil Uzi Vert played his first Roots Picnic in 2016, he was literally on the bottom line of the flier. By his next visit in 2018, he had made the middle; this year, he was one of the headliners.

Uzi justified his placement in the massive crowd he drew, which far exceeded the ostensible headliner, a densely standing crowd one football field across and two football fields deep. As a rapper, Uzi arguably has more in common with Hayley Williams, with whom he shared a stage at Madison Square Garden the previous weekend, than Black Thought — but one thing the two MCs do share is the ability to command a stage. Uzi brought energy and sang well and clearly over his turned-down vocals for a crowd that didn’t do much to match his energy, because they were busy trying to keep their phones steady, held in their outstretched arms overhead.


After Uzi, the crowd began to stream out, perhaps a casualty of too much sun and too many substances, par for the course at any all-day festival. What they missed, unfortunately, was an all-time Lauryn Hill set. She was barely 15 minutes late, practically early by her standards, and she brought at least a 20-piece band with her. She was crisp, well-rehearsed, and maintained supreme professionalism, bringing out Wyclef and Pras for a surprise set of hits off of The Score.

Through it all, Hill kept shouting out Philly and her history with the city as a New Jersey native. She talked about her bond with Roots, describing them as members of the same graduating class as herself in the music industry. At one point she shouted out Ruffhouse Records, the Philly imprint that first signed the Fugees. Questlove grabbed a mic to add that he once interned there. It was the banter of two old friends catching up.


Nothing about the Roots Picnic feels under-considered — it’s a festival where every detail comes together. Take Trent, the Philly-based chef/restaurateur who began with a food truck called Lil Trent’s and a dream. He was brought in to cater backstage at the Picnic in 2014 as he was beginning to build his brand, and his business has grown in the subsequent years along with the festival.


“He reaches out every year and thanks us, because he says his experience at the Picnic helped grow his business,” Shawn Gee says. “It’s that same element of giving back to the folks of Philadelphia, from where the three of us come from. We want that across all elements of the Picnic. Music, everything. All of the experience. One thing I always make sure of is, who are the Black entrepreneurs in Philadelphia that are getting this opportunity that they don’t at other festivals?”