Imagine seeing Lenny Kravitz, Maxwell, Tems, Miguel, Jagged Edge, Total, and others on one stage over a single weekend. Tens of thousands of fans who attended the 17th Annual Roots Picnic, the annual Philadelphia festival created by the hip-hop collective The Roots, were able to do just that over the weekend.
Four-time Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz showcased not only his superb vocals, which have created hits for decades, but also his guitar-playing skills. Wearing a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and a see-through red shirt, he performed uptempo, mid-tempo, and ballads, including “Again,” “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “American Woman,” “Fly Away,” “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over,” “I Belong to You,” and “Honey” during day two of the Roots Picnic.
Brooklyn native Maxwell shared that it was his first time performing at the Roots Picnic. He skillfully performed some of his biggest hits, including “Get to Know Ya,” “Lake By the Ocean,” “Sumthin Sumthin,” “Bad Habits,” “Lifetime,” “Fortunate,” and “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder).”
Coming from Lagos, Nigeria, Tems performed “Essence” by Wizkid, which features her vocals on the ubiquitous hook, “You don’t need no other body.” She also performed her 2020 hit “Free Mind,” “Interference,” and last year’s “Burning.”
Award-winning musician, music director, songwriter, and singer Adam Blackstone played some jazz, performed the Bill Withers classic “Lovely Day,” and was joined by Jagged Edge, who performed “Let’s Get Married,” “Where the Party At,” “Promise,” and “Gotta Be.” Total also performed “Kissing You” and “Can’t You See” with Blackstone.
Miguel gave a powerful performance of his Grammy Award-winning “Adorn” while also performing his classics “How Many Drinks,” during which the crowd aided him in rapping Kendrick Lamar’s verse, “Sure Thing,” and “Do You…”
There were dozens of highlights during the Roots Picnic, including singer Musiq Soulchild celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut, “Aijuswanaseing,” with a performance which featured hits “Just Friends,” “Girl Next Door,” and the timeless ballad “Love.”
The festival’s creators, The Roots, celebrated the 30th anniversary of their second album “Do You Want More?!!!??!” and performed “Proceed,” “Distortion to Static,” and “Silent Treatment.” They were also joined by spoken word artist Ursula Rucker, who performed “The Unlocking” with the group.
Other notable singers who performed included CeCe Peniston, Crystal Waters, Raheem DeVaughn, and CeeLo Green.
Numerous top hip-hop artists also performed, including Atlanta’s Latto, Jeezy, and 2Chainz; GloRilla, who hails from Memphis; and Philadelphia native Meek Mill, who closed out the second day of the festival.
Perhaps no one summed up the Roots Picnic more than iconic comedian Dave Chappelle, who shared with the crowd that he met Maxwell when he worked at a New York City restaurant.
“This is outstanding,” he said. “From the front to the back, all I see is beautiful Black people. I don’t see no violence. I don’t see no hatred. I just see love from community. I flew all the way from Ohio. Shout out to the legendary Roots crew from Philadelphia that puts this whole weekend together and shout out to my good brother Maxwell. It’s beautiful to see what Maxwell’s doing. I’m gonna enjoy the show. Goodnight.”