The 8th Annual Roots Picnic artist lineup was revealed. The Roots, Erykah Badu, The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Rae Sremmurd, and Phantogram will headline the event on May 30th in Philadelphia. Other artists on the bill include DJ Mustard, Brianna Cash, Hiatus Kaiyote, King Britt, Chronixx and the Zincfence Redemption, Afrika Bambaataa, Hudson Mohawke, and more. “I think this is our of our most diverse lineups to date. I am looking forward to seeing the discovery process. This is what excites me each year,” The Roots co-founder Questlove said.
The Roots manager Shawn Gee spoke about the success of last year’s festival, and how they plan on making this year even better. “After last years sold out success, we mapped out a plan to grow the footprint to meet the overwhelming demand,” Gee said. He added, “We’ve added a third stage which is located in a tent adjacent to the lots where we traditionally held the event. This opens up more area for the fans, allows us to book more bands, and increases our capacity by up to fifty percent.” Tickets for music festival will go on sale on March 13th at 12pm (Eastern standard time) on The Roots Picnic website.
The Roots is rap music’s first hip hop band, who was formed in 1989. The band released its first project Organix in 1993, and they have released ten studio albums since then. Some of those albums include Illadelph Halflife, Things Fall Apart, The Tipping Point, Game Theory, How I Got Over, and …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin. Things Fall Apart featured the hit song “You Got Me” (featuring Erykah Badu and Eve), and it won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2000. The project featured guest appearances from Mos Def, Common, Beanie Sigel, and more.
Things Fall Apart went on to sell over 500,000 copies in 1999, as of today, the sales have grown to over one million copies sold. The band’s mainstream success enabled them to perform alongside some of music biggest stars including Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, D’Angelo, T.I., Nas, and more. In 2009, The Roots became the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The Roots followed Fallon over to the Tonight Show last year, and they are the official house band for the comedian’s late night show.
FDRMX Eyes: The Other People is a four-piece rock band from India. The Other People have recently premiered their latest music video for “So Damn Beautiful.”
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