A range of music enthusiasts gathered in Philadelphia for the 12th Annual Roots Picnic. The large crowd of about 25,000 fans enjoyed performances from The Roots, H.E.R., Raphael Saadiq, Ari Lennox, Black Thought & J. Period, and many more.
The Roots Picnic consisted of three stages to cater to the interest of every attendee—the ambience of each stage being completely different, like night and day.
While some enjoyed the latest phenom Blueface, others sung along as Ari Lennox performed hit single “Shea Butter Baby.” Everyone ended the evening singing and dancing as The Roots’ performed a rendition of their album “Things Fall Apart.”
A true testament of the festival is that it is solely about the artistry of music. None of the performances were infiltrated with off-putting backgrounds: it was all about the artists, their fans, and the songs we love.
This simple aesthetic captured the raw talent of the musicians and their hits that we can’t help but singalong to. It made moments such as Black Thought & J. Period bringing Mos Def out onto stage that more memorable along with Jill Scott and Common joining The Roots performance.
Philadelphia native, Jill Scott, tweeted that she had an amazing weekend after the event concluded.
“I love coming home,” she wrote. “@RootsPicnic 2019 was so much fun. Smiles everywhere. Deep hugs, cool ass vbes, great music, food bomb too and live music?!?!?!?!? Come every year ya’ll. So proud of my @theroots family.”