For the past decade, the Roots Picnic has been a Philly staple of live music and culture, presented by the city's heart and soul, the Roots. For its 11th year, the festival has announced a carefully curated lineup featuring GRAMMY-winning comedian Dave Chappelle, who will join the Roots' jam session as top-billed headliner. Rounding out the stacked lineup are GRAMMY-winning artists like 2 Chains and Brandy, GRAMMY-nominated Philadelphia natives Lil Uzi Vert and 6LACK, plus Dirty Projectors, The Diplomats, BadBadNotGood, and more.
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"It’s always a challenge every year to curate the lineup for the Picnic," Questlove and Black Thought of the Roots told Billboard. "We are especially excited this year to bring the jam session hosted by our good friend Dave Chappelle to Philly …. We have done jam sessions with Dave many times over the past decade, most recently at Radio City Music Hall, but never in the festival environment. We love that we are able to bring this great experience to our hometown of Philly.”
The Roots' curatorial effort continues to pay off by providing festival goers unique experiences. For example, this year's offering include podcast and lifestyle stages, which will host live video game tournaments and a series of panels. Also, the live mixtape returns to the main stage, hosted by Black Thought and J. Period, and featuring GRAMMY-nominated special guests Jadakiss and Fabolous.
The Picnic takes place on Philadelphia's Festival Pier on June 2. Festival passes are currently available for presale and go on sale to the general public Friday, Feb. 16 at 12 p.m. EST via Ticketmaster.
