The acclaimed Roots Picnic festival, a beacon of musical excellence and cultural celebration, is back for its 2024 edition, promising an unforgettable two-day experience. Presented by GRAMMY® Award-winning hip-hop icons The Roots and Live Nation Urban, the event will occur at The Mann in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA, on June 1-2, 2024.
Launching the excitement, Roots Picnic alumni presale tickets will be available starting Tuesday, February 20th at 10 AM ET, followed by general on-sale beginning Friday, Feb. 23rd at 10 AM ET.
The festival lineup boasts an impressive array of talent, with GRAMMY® Award-winning legend Lil Wayne headlining alongside The Roots, treating audiences to a journey through decades of hits and a special tribute to Lil Wayne’s hometown of New Orleans, featuring guests PJ Morton and Trombone Shorty. Joining the bill is powerhouse Jill Scott, captivating audiences in her hometown with her soulful style.
The festival’s spirit of collaboration continues with performances from Victoria Monét, André 3000, Gunna, Sexyy Red, Tyla, Smino, Babyface, Adam Blackstone featuring Fantasia & Muni Long, Cam’ron, Nas, Wale, Robert Glasper featuring Yebba, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and more.
Roots Picnic 2024 promises to be a cultural landmark, bringing together generations of artists and fans for an unparalleled celebration of music and community. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary event in the heart of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic is returning June 1 and 2, with Lil Wayne, Jill Scott, and The Roots set as this year’s headliners. With other performers including the Grammy-winning Victoria Monét, André 3000, Sexyy Red, Tyla, Gunna, Nas, Babyface, Robert Glasper featuring Yebba, and more taking the stage as well, this will be one not to miss if you’re considering attending a festival this year.
Tomorrow, February 20 at 10 a.m. ET, a presale for Roots Picnic 2024 will open for alumni — for those who have attended the festival before. Then, this Friday, February 23, the ticket sales will open to the general public at the same time.
Roots Picnic 2024 is offering several ticket options, all of which have no hidden fees. The 2-day GA pass is $200, followed by GA+ for $250. The next step up is the silver VIP ticket, which includes lounge access and special perks. Finally, the gold VIP ticket includes daily drink tickets (4) and meal vouchers (2), along with special viewing areas at the various stages.
More information about Roots Picnic can be found on their website.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Roots will be bringing their annual Roots Picnic festival back to Philadelphia on June 1 and 2 for the perfect start to the summer. Lil Wayne, The Roots, and Jill Scott will be headlining this year, along with Sexyy Red, Victoria Monét, Tyla, Gunna, Nas, Babyface, Robert Glasper featuring Yebba, and more.
Considering the festival is only two days, they are offering a number of ticket options to fans. Here’s what to know about what to budget for the event.
How Much Are Tickets For Roots Picnic 2024?
The standard 2-day General Admission pass is $200 — and every single ticket option is an all-in price, which means no hidden fees. The GA+ ticket is $250, providing access to a lounge with air-conditioned restrooms.
If you’re looking for something a bit more exclusive, the silver VIP pass is $899. Finally, the highest pass is the gold VIP ticket at $1,299, which includes daily drink tickets and food vouchers.
Tickets for Roots Picnic 2024 go on sale to the general public this Friday, February 23 at 10 a.m. ET. Also, if you’ve attended the festival before, this appears to give you access to an alumni presale, which will take place tomorrow, February 20 at the same time.
More information can be found on the Roots Picnic website.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic will return this June 1 and 2 for an incredibly-stacked festival. This year’s headliners include Lil Wayne and the festival’s namesake band, The Roots. Other acts include Sexyy Red, Victoria Monét, Jill Scott, Gunna, Tyla, Nas, Babyface, Robert Glasper featuring Yebba, Smino, and many many more. View the full lineup here.
There will also be several podcast appearances on the Experience Stage, for those who are looking to catch something at the festival outside of music.
Here’s what to know if you’re looking to attend this summer.
How To Buy Tickets For Roots Picnic 2024
The Roots Picnic 2024 alumni presale will open tomorrow, February 20 at 10 a.m. ET, providing the first chance to get access to tickets this year. From there, a general sale will open to the public on Friday, February 23 at the same time.
Right now, the 2-day General Admission pass is $200, with no hidden fees. The GA+ tier is $250, and includes access to the GA+ Lounge with air-conditioned bathrooms and a private cash bar.
Additionally, there are two options for VIP tickets. The silver tier VIP ticket is $899, providing access to a special lounge, on-site concierge, pit access at the stages, and more. The gold tier VIP ticket is $1,299. This includes shaded elevated viewing at the main stage, four drink tickets per day, two meal vouchers per day, a commemorative gift, and more.
More information can be found on the Roots Picnic website.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Twenty years ago, Usher’s fourth album Confessions assumed the crown of 2004’s best-selling album in the US thanks to nearly 8 million copies sold nationwide. It sold more than double the release that came in second place, Norah Jones’ Feels Like Home. In addition to the immense commercial acclaim it received in 2004, Confessions remained atop the conversation around modern-day R&B in the years that followed. It’s ever-present on “Best Albums Of All-Time” lists while continuing to be mentioned as a body of work that influenced some of today’s biggest artists. Two decades and a diamond certification later, Usher’s Confessions, among his other work, finds itself in the middle of an R&B resurgence.
For roughly 13 minutes, Usher danced and skated all over the Super Bowl LVIII stage as he cruised impressively through performances of “Caught Up,” “My Boo,” “Confessions Pt. II,” “Burn,” “Yeah!” and more. It marked the second Sunday in a row that R&B was under the spotlight in front of a national audience that extended globally. The Sunday before Super Bowl LVIII was the 66th Annual Grammy Awards where Victoria Monét, who was tied for the second-most nominations, walked away with the Best New Artist award in addition to wins in the Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical categories. SZA, the most-nominated artist of the awards, secured three wins in Best Progressive R&B Album, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best R&B Song. Lastly, Coco Jones tasted victory during her first Grammy award show as a nominated as she walked away with a Best R&B Performance trophy. Together, the trio are undeniable representatives of artists ready to lead R&B into and through its next era – one that brings it back to mainstream glory.
The forecast for the future of R&B doesn’t begin with these award wins, as it’s been clear for a while now that the genre’s resurgence was in order. I’d even argue these awards aren’t the validation of an artist’s work, but rather, the celebration of what was already validated. A loss, or even the failure to get nominated, doesn’t nullify its quality or impact. Last fall, Spotify reported a 25% increase in streams of R&B records over the past year, making it one of the platforms’ fastest-growing genres. In recent years, the sound that many called dead progressed into one that could now take centerstage during both music’s and sport’s biggest nights. As a result, its artists have new hardware to place in their trophy cases, received a moment to celebrate and showcase the best of an already-cemented legacy, and found the inspiration to one day achieve the career-highlighting moments that were showcased during the first two weeks of this Black History Month.
When fans mentioned the “death” of R&B, it often pointed to the absence of pure vocalists and a lack of passion and yearning for love in the music. There’s been a shift in tone in R&B over the years since Usher’s Confessions, where some artists now prefer a middle finger and a goodbye over a good ol’ session of singing in the rain shirtless and begging for another chance from a scorned lover. Things were meant to change though as tradition is the repeated commemoration of the past and rarely does the past exist unaltered forever. An expiration date exists and awaits someone who dares to discover it and go against it in favor of starting their own. In the best cases, what once was is never forgotten, but instead, it’s used in the formula to create what’s next.
The best cases exist with Coco Jones’ “ICU,” SZA’s “Snooze,” and Victoria Monét’s “I’m The One” – songs that passionately call for love at each tick of the metronome and let the passion of their requests spill into their vocal runs. Look no further than H.E.R’s “Comfortable,” Lucky Daye’s “Over,” Chloe x Halle’s “Ungodly Hour,” Summer Walker’s “You Don’t Know Me,” Khamari’s “These Four Walls,” and Leon Thomas’ “Sneak” for additional examples from artists who made use of this ingredient. This helped to bring the best of modern-day R&B to the stage it deserved to be on.
The argument in defense of R&B’s state in the past was that the undeniable talent that fans and critics seek lay deep in the genre’s rolodex, overlooked by those who didn’t value the true beauty of the music. You simply had to sift through the mainstream clutter and do the work to find the artist(s) who represented the greatness of the genre. For fans who did this, their eventual discoveries became like precious gems to listeners who feared if and how their new beloved artist would later be comprised if they had too much light placed on them. In came posts expressing how “better” it was when said artist was below a certain popularity threshold. Sure, fans will still discover and hold these precious gems close to their hearts, but hopefully now thanks to the above examples, they’ll be a bit more willing to support and push them into glory knowing what it could bring to their career. Not to mention the bragging rights that exist with being there since day one.
In just two weeks, R&B put forth a convincing showcase of what tomorrow looks like in the genre, and the fact of the matter is people are listening. The yearning ears are back and the genre is providing music that satisfies all listeners alike in a room that is prepared to house a bigger audience than what was once had in recent years. Since Usher’s Confessions, few years have delivered an R&B album that dominated the charts as well as SZA’s SOS did. Then you have an album like Victoria Monét’s Jaguar II which left an impact on the culture that one would be silly to deny. Lastly, Usher received his flowers in an excellent performance of his career-spanning releases on the Super Bowl LVIII stage. It’s a vivid picture of a genre in great health, one that seems primed for might milestones in the coming years.
Each year, music fans and critics alike try their best to guess who will walk away with a trophy during the Grammy Awards. This year was quite exhausting, considering the massive number of categories (98 in total). The 2024 Grammys most nominated acts, like SZA and Victoria Monét are shoo-ins for several major categories. But, the Best New Artist category is elusive.
During this year’s ceremony, Victoria Monét took home the win (as most predicted). The “On My Mama” singer beat out Coco Jones, Gracie Abrams, Fred Again, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét, and The War And Treaty.
As she headed to the stage to accept the award, she couldn’t help but hold back tears. In her speech, she thanked her collaborators, including producers Deputy, D Mile, and more. When the nominations were first announced, Victoria and her family shared their live reactions to hearing that she secured seven nods (which made her the second most nominated act).
Earlier in the evening, Victoria’sJaguar II album snagged two wins for Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
Last year’s winner, jazz prodigy Samara Joy, did the honors of handing Victoria the ward this year.
View Uproxx’s complete coverage of the 2024 Grammy Awards here. Check out the complete list of winners during the evening here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Each decade has its Black female pop music mainstay. In the 1970s, Donna Summer relished in international stardom with a husky voice and seductive image. Late powerhouse Whitney Houston took over the 1980s, possessing smoky and robust melodics that placed both her debut and sophomore albums atop the Billboard 200 upon release. Mariah Carey rightfully earned her ‘Songbird Supreme’ title in the 1990s for balladry and honeyed anthems that coated her five-octave range.
The aforementioned women – and tons more, including Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, and Rihanna – are Grammy-winning pop icons whose hits have defined generations. But as the musical landscape continues to appease the tastes of introspective-yet-lively Gen-Z listeners, standards for the quintessential Black female pop star have changed, and it’s reflected in the 2024 Grammy Awards nominations.
Three top contenders in this year’s ‘Big Four’ categories were once underdogs who had their eyes set on proving the mainstream wrong: SZA, Victoria Monét, and Coco Jones. Whilst SZA has one Grammy under her belt, split with Doja Cat for their 2021 collaboration “Kiss Me More,” Monét and Jones are meeting their breakthrough with seven and five respective introductory Grammy nominations. (Monét has previously been nominated as a writer, but not as the featured artist.)
The women were previously underappreciated as solo acts; SZA didn’t win a single trophy out of her five nominations for Ctrl, Monét was snubbed for her 2020 EP, Jaguar, and Jones was dropped from her first record deal as a teen. But where the emergence of the three is distinct, they all share a commonality: delivering vulnerability and rawness in their material rather than solely relying on a polished image and expert choreography.
Nabbing the most nominations (nine) at this year’s Grammys is SZA, who rose to the occasion in 2023 despite taking a five-year hiatus following her landmark 2017 debut Ctrl. Non-single standouts from SZA’s latest album are dominant in the categories of Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Love Language”), Best Melodic Rap Performance (“Low”), and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Ghost In The Machine”), and in December, 16-time Grammy-winner Adele told THR that she believes SZA “will win all of them.” It’s fair to say that SOS is the singer-songwriter’s current magnum opus, as it succeeded Whitney Houston’s eponymous 1987 album in spending its first seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It later sat ten non-consecutive weeks atop the chart, one of several historic feats that the LP would achieve in 2023. The “Snooze” vocalist also launched a massive headlining tour, her first arena outing since Top Dawg Entertainment’s ‘The Championship Tour’ in 2018.
Embarking on their first concert series last fall was Monét, who established herself as a household name during the Jaguar II rollout. Passing the torch to the Sacramento-raised artist on the album were past Grammy winners Lucky Daye (“Smoke”), Buju Banton (“Party Girls”), Kaytranada (“Alright”), and Earth, Wind And Fire (“Hollywood”). The latter even gave Monét’s 2-year-old daughter, Hazel, the recognition of becoming the youngest Grammy nominee in history for her bubbly cooing and laughter towards the song’s end. But it was Monét’s groundbreaking track “On My Mama” that gave the singer her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist, also becoming anthemic for unapologetic mamas and HBCU marching bands. 2023 signaled Monét getting long overdue flowers from nearly every aspect of the music industry, including MTV – who was previously unaware of her greatness – to veteran R&B acts. Since 9-time Grammy-winner Mary J. Blige danced alongside her sister to “On My Mama” in a nightclub, Monét could be a headlining performer for the third installment of Blige’s Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit.
Scoring big in 2022 and 2023 was Jones, who received watershed praise for her affectionate single “ICU” and its accompanying EP What I Didn’t Tell You. The project showed maturation in the Bel-Air star, whose origins stemmed from being a former Disney Channel notable. Although Jones initially shied away from ballads, the tracks on WIDTY were appropriate fits for the passionate and husky-voiced chanteuse. Despite Jones originally being hesitant about recording slower-paced music, her growth was acknowledged at last year’s BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and Soul Train Awards, where she won in all three Best New Artist categories, albeit over ten years apart from her self-titled EP.
However, the Grammys could surprise us by giving a long-delayed gramophone to Janelle Monáe, who stripped down and soaked up good vibes on their fourth album, The Age Of Pleasure. To date, the Kansas City-born visionary — who doesn’t solely identify as a woman and has come out as non-binary — has lost all eight of their previous Grammy nominations, including Album Of The Year for the radical third LP, Dirty Computer. Regardless of stepping away from a concept album run on TAOP, Monáe has proven their star power for nearly 15 years, also giving us an occasional show-stopping film performance.
African artists Ayra Starr and Tyla are primed to be the leaders of tomorrow’s pop music class, due to both being nominated in the new Grammy category Best African Music Performance. Whereas many in the U.S. are newly discovering Starr – who’s been a pillar in Afropop since 2021 – Tyla’s amapiano smash “Water” was unavoidable across block parties and TikTok last summer. The latter has frequently affirmed wanting to introduce her South African roots to the world as a pop artist, and since crossing over from local notoriety to reaching global stages, she’s on the right track.
We’d be remiss not to mention the projects from the unsung women in pop and R&B that either went unsubmitted or slept on by the Recording Academy. Kelela bared her soul and gave us ripened singing on her first album in over five years, Raven. Tinashe kept pushing the boundaries of experimental pop on her sixth overall album, BB/Ang3l. Amaarae’s diverse sophomore LP Fountain Baby was refreshing in a time when modern pop can sometimes be monotonous and gimmicky. More names that deserve a shot in the Grammys spotlight: Ama Lou, Jorja Smith, Liv.e, Chlöe, and Arlo Parks. As the public readies themselves for a post-Beyoncé and post-Rihanna pop climate – although both are undisputed in their own right – the next female Black pop star standard could be anyone’s to gain because these women have already made their mark.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
So far, the 2024 award session has been the talk of the town (a.k.a. social media). That communal conversation will continue this week as the highly-anticipated Grammys ceremony is set to take place. With Trevor Noah on hosting duty for the evening, viewers and attendees are guaranteed an entertaining event (sorry, Jo Koy). But while the jokes make the night pass smoothly, the Grammys is all about who walks away with the coveted gramophone trophy.
Last year’s ceremony was filled with record-setting moments thanks to Beyoncé. This year’s event could follow suit as acts like SZA and Victoria Monét lead the nomination pack. So, when can you tune into the broadcast?
What Time Do The Grammys 2024 Start?
The 2024 Grammys are scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 4. Music’s biggest names will gather for the revered ceremony at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, California. If you aren’t lucky enough to have secured a ticket to the event, you will just have to view it from the comfort of your couch like millions of others via CBS or log onto Paramount+.
The official award ceremony will begin broadcasting at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET). However, if you’re interested in checking out the fashion looks from the red carpet or pre-show interview, you can tune into the Recording Academy’s YouTube livestream at 3:30 p.m. ET. The pre-show can also be enjoyed on the official Grammys website. Find more information here.
In a glittering kickoff to GRAMMY week, the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) hosted an exclusive Music Maker Dinner in collaboration with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis at Delilah in Los Angeles. The star-studded evening brought together industry leaders and celebrated artists, including Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Flavor Flav, and Victoria Monét.
BMAC Co-Founder and CEO Willie “Prophet” Stiggers set the tone by emphasizing the importance of paying it forward and guiding the next generation. The event also announced the winners of the 2024 BMAC x ASCAP x Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Music Maker Grant, empowering aspiring Black producers and songwriters with funding and mentorship.
Singer-songwriter Victoria Monét introduced the BMAC x Victoria Monét Music Maker Grant, offering economic empowerment and mentorship opportunities to an emerging Black artist.
The night featured musical surprises, including a quartet performance by Babyface, Flavor Flav, Tank, and Kenny Burns, a sing-along led by Tank, and a tribute to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. BMAC’s GRAMMY Week events will continue with a Black Media Mixer and conclude with an Economic Justice Summit.
For more information on the Black Music Action Coalition, visit here.
The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) has collaborated with 10-time GRAMMY nominee Victoria Monét to unveil the BMAC x Victoria Monét Music Maker Grant. The grant, set to be officially announced at BMAC’s GRAMMY Week Music Maker Dinner on Jan. 31, 2024, will provide $5,000 to support economic empowerment for an emerging Black artist. Additionally, the recipient will gain access to mentorship opportunities and direct career advice from Victoria Monét.
This initiative is aligned with BMAC’s commitment to fostering access, equity, and opportunities for the next generation of Black artists and industry professionals. The BMAC x Victoria Monét Music Maker Grant joins BMAC’s portfolio of impactful grants and empowerment programs, including The Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Music Maker Grant, BMAC Ernie Paniccioli Music Photojournalism Grant & Celebration Event, and others.
“We are honored to partner with Victoria Monét to uplift a young and deserving Black artist and help further their dreams within the music industry. Her story is one of resilience and perseverance and it is in that spirit we will continue to pay it forward. BMAC’s mission is to create a more equal playing field by breaking down barriers to entry for our community. Our BMAC Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Music Maker Dinner is a perfect room to celebrate this initiative,” said BMAC Co-Founder, President, and CEO, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers.
“Supporting the next generation of women is crucial as we work towards furthering equality across the board in the music industry,” added BMAC Co-Founder, Caron Veazey. “Partnering with an iconic artist and role model like Victoria Monét through the Music Maker Grant will help us to impact a future star by setting them up on a path to success. We are looking forward to receiving the submissions and uncovering a deserving artist!”
“I met Victoria years ago as a songwriter and to see where her gifts have brought her to today has been an incredible journey to watch. As a co-founder of BMAC, I am proud to honor her work with establishing the BMAC-Victoria Monét Music Maker Grant and have the opportunity to work together to uplift the next generation of our industry,” said BMAC Co-Founder, Shawn Holiday.
The grant’s recipient will be selected through a nationwide search facilitated by BMAC, with further details to be shared in the coming weeks. To learn more about the Black Music Action Coalition and its initiatives, visit BMAC’s official website.
