Roots Picnic is coming back: The 2024 edition was just announced today (February 19), and it’s set to go down on June 1 and 2 at The Mann In Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.
Leading the way for the lineup are Lil Wayne and The Roots in a celebration of New Orleans alongside PJ Morton and Trombone Shorty, along with Jill Scott, André 3000, Nas, Gunna, Victoria Monét, Sexyy Red, Babyface, Tyla, and others.
As for tickets, there’s a Roots Picnic alumni presale that goes live on February 20 at 10 a.m. ET. The general on-sale starts February 23 at 10 a.m. ET. More information can be found on the Roots Picnic website.
Lil Wayne & The Roots Celebrate New Orleans (featuring special guests PJ Morton and Trombone Shorty)
Jill Scott
André 3000
Nas
Gunna
Victoria Monét
Sexyy Red
Babyface
Robert Glasper & Yebba
J.Period Live Mixtape featuring Black Thought, Method Man, and Redman
Adam Blackstone’s Legacy Experience featuring Fantasia and Muni Long
Smino
Cam’ron
Wale
Tyla
Marsha Ambrosius
Baller Alert Presents Backyard Band featuring Scarface & Amerie
October London
Leon Thomas
Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Funk Flex
Q
Leon Thomas
Blk Odyssy
OT7 Quanny
Kenya Vaun
N3wyrkla
Julian King
Rec Philly Presents Chioke
DJ Diamond Kuts
DJ Aktive
DJ Doc B
DJ RL
R&B Only (Experience Stage)
U+ME+RNB (Experience Stage)
They Have the Range (Experience Stage)
Million Dollaz Worth of Game (Experience Stage)
Tonight’s Conversation (Experience Stage)
Juan Epstein Podcast (Experience Stage)
World Series of Spades (Experience Stage)
Today (February 6), the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced the 2024 summer season for the Hollywood Bowl. The legendary venue will host performances from artists like Mitski (in her Hollywood Bowl debut) and Beck, as well as the first West Coast edition of Roots Picnic, featuring The Roots, Queen Latifah, Common, Digable Planets, Arrested Development, The Pharcyde, Black Sheep, and more.
Other highlights from the season include the world premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Infinity Saga Concert Experience,” a Juneteenth celebration with T-Pain and special guests, the two-day Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival featuring artists like Kamasi Washington and Robert Glasper, and other performances by artists including Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, Chaka Khan, Gary Clark Jr., and Herbie Hancock.
Check out the full list of upcoming Hollywood Bowl performances from summer onward below, and find more information at the Hollywood Bowl website.
Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival
Saturday, June 15, 3:30 p.m.
Arsenio Hall, host
Jodeci
Christian McBride
Charles Lloyd with Jason Moran, Larry Grenadier, and Brian Blade
Mulatu Astatke
Alex Isley
Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA
Sunday, June 16, 3:30 p.m.
Arsenio Hall, host
Kamasi Washington
Robert Glasper with special guest Yebba
Cory Henry
Soul Rebels with special guest Seun Kuti
Baby Rose
Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band
Aneesa Strings
Juneteenth Celebration
T-Pain Plus Special Guests — Wednesday, June 19, 8 p.m.
T-Pain
Color of Noise Orchestra
Derrick Hodge, conductor
Opening Night at the Bowl
Henry Mancini 100th Celebration — Sunday, June 23, 7:30 p.m.
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Special guests to include Michael Bublé, Dave Koz, and Monica Mancini
Roots Picnic: Hip-Hop is the Love of My Life
Saturday, June 29, 8 p.m.
The Roots
Queen Latifah
Common
Digable Planets
Arrested Development
The Pharcyde
Black Sheep
And more…
July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular with Harry Connick Jr.
Tuesday, July 2, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 3, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 4, 7:30 p.m.
Harry Connick Jr.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Beck with the LA Phil
Saturday, July 6. 8 p.m.
Beck
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Steven Reineke, conductor
Patti LaBelle
Sunday, July 7, 7:30 p.m.
Scheherazade
Tuesday, July 9, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Elim Chan, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Unsuk CHIN subito con forza
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade
All-Gershwin
Thursday, July 11, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Lionel Bringuier, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
Isabel Leonard, vocalist
GERSHWIN Cuban Overture
GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
GERSHWIN Song Selections
GERSHWIN Variations on “I Got Rhythm”
GERSHWIN An American in Paris
Maestro of the Movies: John Williams with the LA Phil
Friday, July 12, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 13, 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 14, 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
John Williams, conductor
David Newman, conductor
Ray Chen Plays Tchaikovsky
Tuesday, July 16, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
David Afkham, conductor
Ray Chen, violin
TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”
Big Band Night
Maria Schneider Orchestra • Count Basie Orchestra
Wednesday, July 17, 8 p.m.
Ballet Folklórico de Mexico with the LA Phil
Thursday, July 18, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández
Salvador López López, general director
Viviana Basanta, artistic director
CHÁVEZ Symphony No. 2, “Sinfonía India”
Juan Pablo CONTRERAS Mariachitlán
Gabriela ORTIZ Antrópolis
REVUELTAS Sensemayá
Arturo MÁRQUEZ Danzón No. 2
LARA (arr. Ferrer) Danzones de Lara
MONCAYO Huapango
Disney ’80s-’90s Celebration in Concert
Friday, July 19, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 20, 8 p.m.
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Sarah Hicks, conductor
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit • Sylvan Esso
Uwade
Sunday, July 21, 7 p.m.
KCRW Festival
Mozart Under the Stars
Tuesday, July 23, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Zubin Mehta, conductor
Pinchas Zukerman, violin
MOZART Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 3
MOZART Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”
All-Beethoven
Thursday, July 25, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
David Robertson, conductor
Sunwook Kim, piano
Clara-Jumi Kang, violin
Hayoung Choi, cello
BEETHOVEN Coriolan Overture
BEETHOVEN Triple Concerto
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
Chaka Khan
Friday, July 26, 8 p.m.
The Music of Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, and More: Boublil and Schönberg’s Do You Hear the People Sing?
Sunday, July 28, 7:30 p.m.
Stravinsky & Khachaturian
Tuesday, July 30, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Kevin John Edusei, conductor
Martin Chalifour, violin
KHACHATURIAN Violin Concerto
KHACHATURIAN Spartacus Suite No. 2
STRAVINSKY The Firebird Suite (1919 version)
Schumann & Bruch
Thursday, August 1, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Xian Zhang, conductor
Karen Gomyo, violin
WAGNER Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1
R. SCHUMANN Symphony No. 1, “Spring”
Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks
Friday, August 2, 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 3, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Otto Tausk, conductor
Behzod Abduraimov, piano
USC Trojan Marching Band
TCHAIKOVSKY Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY Suite from Sleeping Beauty
TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture
Reggae Night XXII
Jamrock Reggae Night at the Bowl
Sunday, August 4, 7 p.m.
KCRW Festival
Prokofiev & Shostakovich
Tuesday, August 6, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Ryan Bancroft, conductor
Denis Kozhukhin, piano
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 10
Laufey with the LA Phil
Wednesday, August 7, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Conductor to be announced
Symphonic Tango & Flamenco
Thursday, August 8, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
François López-Ferrer, conductor
Blake Pouliot, violin
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
Emilio Ochando, choreographer
FALLA The Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2
PIAZZOLLA Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
DEBUSSY Ibéria
RAVEL Boléro
Artist to be announced
Saturday, August 10, 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 11, 7:30 p.m.
India.Arie
Friday, August 9, 8 p.m.
All-Rachmaninoff
Tuesday, August 13, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Dima Slobodeniouk, conductor
Alexander Malofeev, piano
RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2
Herbie Hancock: Head Hunters 50th
Wednesday, August 14, 8 p.m.
Herbie Hancock
Harvey Mason
Bennie Maupin
Bill Summers
Marcus Miller
The Elements with Joshua Bell
Thursday, August 15, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Rodolfo Barráez, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
COPLAND El Salón México
Kevin PUTS/Edgar MEYER/Jake HEGGIE/Jennifer HIGDON/Jessie MONTGOMERY The
Elements
BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
The Gipsy Kings
Featuring Nicolas Reyes
Friday, August 16, 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 17, 8 p.m.
Smooth Summer Jazz
George Benson
Sunday, August 18, 6:30 p.m.
All-Dvořák with Midori
Tuesday, August 20, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Christian Reif, conductor
Midori, violin
DVOŘÁK Carnival Overture
DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7
Gary Clark Jr. and The War and Treaty
Wednesday, August 21, 8 p.m.
The Rite of Spring
Thursday, August 22, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Program to include:
Michael Tilson THOMAS Agnegram
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring
Pink Martini Featuring China Forbes
Friday, August 23, 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 24, 8 p.m.
Mt. Joy
Sunday, August 25, 7 p.m.
KCRW Festival
Singin’ in the Rain in Concert
Tuesday, August 27, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
David Newman, conductor
Gustavo Dudamel & Yunchan Lim
Thursday, August 29, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Yunchan Lim, piano
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Marvel Studios Infinity Saga Concert Experience
Friday, August 30, 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 31, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Toto and Christopher Cross
Sunday, September 1, 7:30 p.m.
Carmen and Carnival with Dudamel
Tuesday, September 3, 8 p.m.
Thursday, September 5, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Sergio Tiempo, piano
Karin Lechner, piano
Rihab Chaieb, mezzo-soprano
Roberto SIERRA Fandangos
BIZET Scenes from Carmen
Roberto SIERRA Alegría
SAINT-SAËNS Carnival of the Animals
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Wednesday, September 4, 8 p.m.
Trombone Shorty
Big Boi
Natalia Lafourcade with the LA Phil
Friday, September 6, 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 7, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Vance Joy
‘dream your life away’ 10-Year Anniversary Tour
Sunday, September 8, 7 p.m.
KCRW Festival
Dudamel Leads Beethoven 9
Tuesday, September 10, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Key’mon Murrah, countertenor
Hera Hyesang Park, soprano
Samantha Hankey, mezzo-soprano
Anthony León, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Grant Gershon, Artistic Director
Jenny Wong, Associate Artistic Director
BERNSTEIN Chichester Psalms
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9
Sammy Davis, Jr. at 100
Wednesday, September 11, 8 p.m.
Dudamel and the Stars of Opera
Thursday, September 12, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Diana Damrau, soprano
Jonas Kaufmann, tenor
VERDI Overture to I Vespri siciliani
MASCAGNI Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana
VARIOUS Selected arias and duets
RESPIGHI Pines of Rome
Boyz II Men
Friday, September 13, 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 14, 8 p.m.
Sunday, September 15, 8 p.m.
Fireworks Finale
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Wednesday, September 18, 8 p.m.
The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA
Friday, September 20, 8 p.m.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music Sing-along
Saturday, September 21, 6 p.m. Pre-show; 7:30 p.m. film
Melissa Peterman, host
Cumbia at the Bowl!
Sunday, September 22, 7 p.m.
KCRW Festival
Grupo Cañaveral de Humberto Pabón
La Sonora Dinamita
Los Hermanos Flores
Camilo
Thursday, September 26, 8 p.m.
Mitski
Sharon Van Etten
Saturday, September 28, 8 p.m.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The 2023 Roots Picnic held at The Mann at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia was a resounding commercial success from June 2nd to 4th. With a focus on the hottest names in R&B, the event showcased a lineup that enthralled audiences. From young sensation Ari Lennox to hip-hop duo City Girls, and the homegrown talent of […]
Freddie Gibbs and Akademiks show no signs of making peace. Their feud began after Akademiks referred to the Gary, Indiana rapper as “irrelevant” following remarks Gibbs made towards Jeezy. That’s when things started to flare up between the two as Gibbs and Akademiks. The rapper and the media personality began to throw shots at one another online and in interviews but Akademiks seemingly got the upper hand last month. As Gibbs’s pregnant ex-girlfriend, Destini Fox, aired out their business, Akademiks brought her on his stream for an interview.
All in all, Akademiks believes that Fox’s appearance on his livestream, where she discussed the downfall of her relationship with Gibbs, was the nail in the coffin. Akademiks also shared a photo of Fox from an alleged porn shoot, writing, “I WON.” Gibbs hasn’t necessarily responded to Akademiks but he did acknowledge the fact that Fox turned him into a trending topic. He didn’t directly respond to the “Spreadie Gibbs” allegations, though he did poke fun at Fox’s claim that she stopped paying his phone bill.
On Saturday, the annual Roots Picnic hosted a podcast tent where they brought Akademiks to host a live interview with Lil Boom. While Akademiks became a synonymous voice with hip-hop and pop culture at large, it seems as though he didn’t necessarily have the strongest pull at the event. A video emerged of a portion of the interview where Akademiks appeared to only have a few people in attendance as he and Lil Boom chopped it up.
It didn’t take long for Freddie Gibbs to chime in. He quoted a video of Ak’s scheduled set, writing, “Damn.” It should be noted that the crowd grew shortly after but not by much. It’s not necessarily a checkmate in their beef but at the very least, Freddie Gibbs does have bragging rights that the majority of his live shows are packed. Still, The Roots Picnic is definitely more of Gibbs’s crowd than it is Akademiks. Ak hosted his set at 8 p.m., half an hour after Lil Uzi Vert began his set on the main stage and 15 minutes after Syd’s headlining slow on the Presser Stage. Check out Gibbs’ response to Akademiks above.
DJ Akademiks was on hand at the Roots Picnic, delivering a live episode of Off The Record on the podcast stage. It must have been the wrong crowd for the controversial Hip-Hop personality, as only a handful of people came to the stage where he interviewed rapper Lil Boom.
The actual number of people who attended the live show is rumored to be eight of thousands at the festival, allowing Freddie Gibbs to continue his forever war with Ak.
Roots Picnic was this past weekend, and on June 3, Lauryn Hill performed her set. In a surprise move, to wrap up her time on stage, she brought out Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel for a six-song Fugees reunion performance. The group had been trying to make a reunion happen for some time now, and they finally did.
What’s bittersweet here, though, is that this could be the last time the three perform together.
In April, Pras was found guilty on a number of federal charges, including money laundering, campaign finance violations, acting as an unregistered agent for China, concealment and false record-keeping, witness tampering, and making false statements. Ultimately, he could spend up to 20 years in prison, meaning that future Fugees performances with him do not seem likely.
Questlove shared a video of the performance on Instagram and wrote, “@MsLaurynHill did us a solid by letting us not only letting us celebrate with her the classic #MiseducationOfLaurynHill but she also made a moment by bringing together her bredren @WyclefJean & @PrasMichel ……in what could possibly be one of the last times we will see this institution together in this setting. I’m giving all the gratitude for making this miracle of a night happen.”
The Fugees were not the only iconic rap unit to reunite at Roots Picnic. The festival in Philadelphia also brought together State Property in full.
Power 99 Philly captured footage of the full crew of Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Young Gunz, Peedi Crack, and Oschino & Sparks on stage with Roc diamonds high to “Takeover” and running through classics from the discography, including “1-900 Hustler,” Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” and more.
Pras Michel, Lauryn Hill, and Wyclef Jean of The Fugees all reunited to perform at the 2023 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on Saturday night. The performance comes as Pras Michel faces 20 years in prison for his connection to the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad scandal. He is accused of pumping millions of dollars from Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho into Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
On stage Saturday, the group performed a six-song set that included “Killing Me Softly” as well as “Fu-Gee-La,” and more of their hits. Depending on the sentencing of Pras, it could be the final time they all take the stage together.
While Pras was in attendance for the event, some users on social media noted that he didn’t appear in the best of spirits. Responding to one clip of the show, a fan wrote on Twitter: “Damn Pras looks kinda sad… Probably not feelin right after everything that happened recently.”
Pras was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the US, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government back in April. A sentencing date wasn’t set at the time, but Pras’ lawyer, David Kenner, told reporters the team remains confident mistrial motions will work out for them. “We are extremely disappointed in that result. But are very, very confident in the ultimate outcome of this case,” Kenner said at the time, according to CNN. “If we do move to a sentencing hearing I remain very confident we will certainly appeal this case. This is not over.”
The Fugees Perform Together
The Fugees previously attempted to schedule a tour in honor of the 25th anniversary of the release of The Score. A first tour was canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Plans for a rescheduling were later put on hold indefinitely due to Pras’ legal troubles.
The Roots Picnic 2023 is going down this weekend. As one of Philadephia’s premiere outdoor music festivals, this year’s event is expected to attract fans nationwide. Despite the last-minute cancellation of Diddy as the closing headliner, R&B legend Usher being announced as the replacement quickly nulled over any lingering anger.
As for the music side of the festival, performances will go down on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts. Notable billed R&B acts include Coco Jones, DVSN, Soulquarians featuring the Isley Brothers, Syd, Ari Lennox, and Lucky Daye. To honor the 50th anniversary of hip-hop headliner Ms. Lauryn Hill and others such as the State Property Reunion will celebrate the genre’s impact.
Check out the set times for The Roots Picnic 2023 below. All times are p.m. and ET.
Saturday, June 3
Akin Inaj & Inutech — 2 @ Presser Stage
N3wyrkla — 2 @ Park Stage
Mike Phillips — 2:25 @ Park Stage
Fridayy — 2:30 @ Presser Stage
Uncle Waffles — 2:50 @ Park Stage
Symba — 3:10 @ Presser Stage
Adam Blackstone w/ Coco Jones & Mary Mary — 3:50 @ Park Stage
DVSN — 4 @ Presser Stage
State Property Reunion — 4:50 @ Park Stage
Baller Alert presents Rare Essence. vs. Backyard Band — 5 @ Presser Stage
Soulquarians feat. Isley Brothers — 6 @ Park Stage
GloRilla — 6:30 @ Presser Stage
Lil Uzi Vert — 7:30 @ Park Stage
Syd — 7:45 @ Presser Stage
Ms. Lauryn Hill — 9:15 @ Park Stage
Sunday, June 4
Dappa — 12 @ Presser Stage
Box Boys — 2 @ Park Stage
DJ Spinall — 2:15 @ Park Stage
Rocky — 2:30 @ Presser Stage
Little Brother — 3 @ Park Stage
Yussef Dayes Experience — 3:20 @ Presser Stage
Maverick City — 4 @ Park Stage
Saucy Santana — 4:20 @ Presser Stage
Kindred The Family Soul — 5:10 @ Presser Stage
Ari Lennox — 6 @ Park Stage
DJ Drama — 6:10 @ Presser Stage
J. Period Mixtape featuring Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, and Eve — 7:15 @ Park Stage
Lucky Daye — 7:25 @ Presser Stage
Usher — 9:15 @ Park Stage
Set times are subject to change—the official Roots Picnic mobile app to stay up-to-date with the latest information and updates to set times. Tickets for the Roots Picnic are on sale now. Find more information here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The momentum will carry into this summer. Today, February 20, the 2023 Roots Picnic lineup was revealed. The Roots Picnic Weekend is slated for June 2 to 4 at Philadelphia’s The Mann in Fairmount Park. The headliners are Ms. Lauryn Hill — “celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill— Diddy with The Roots, and Lil Uzi Vert.
Dave Chappelle is billed as providing “Friday Night Comedy” at Wells Fargo Center.
The 2023 Roots Picnic will also stage such prominent musical acts as Ari Lennox, City Girls, Maverick City, DJ Drama, Saucy Santana, Uncle Waffles, Lucky Daye, Syd, Glorilla, Black Thought, Eve, Busta Rhymes, DVSN, Kindred, The Family Soul, and Spinall.
The “Soulquarians Icons Set” will be performed by the Isley Brothers and Roy Ayers, while Adam Blackstone is expected to perform with special guests Mary Mary and Coco Jones.
The podcast stage will feature Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Akademiks’ Off The Record, Angela Yee’s Lip Service, Questlove Supreme, Don’t Call Me White Girl, People’s Party With Talib Kweli, and more.
“We’re partnering with @livenationurban to bring you three days of black culture, music, comedy, and podcasts in one of the most beautiful cities in the world!!!!” The Roots Picnic’s Instagram post reads, noting that presale begins Tuesday, February 21, at noon ET.
Additional ticketing information can be found here. See the official lineup poster above.