Mark your calendars: Lauryn Hill, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Dave Chappelle will headline the 2023 Roots Picnic in June. The line-up and locations were announced on Monday.
The 16th annual Philadelphia music festival will cover a full weekend of performances in two locations. Chappelle’s performance, featuring The Roots, will happen on Friday, June 2, at the Wells Fargo Center. The rest of the Roots Picnic acts will appear onstage on Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and June 4, at The Mann in Fairmount Park.
Hill, the eight-time Grammy Award-winning singer-rapper-songwriter, will use her set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her debut solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” Although it’s also her lone studio album, it’s considered a classic, with hits like “Doo-Wop (That Thing),” “Ex-Factor” and “Everything is Everything.”
The Roots will back Combs for his appearance featuring his catalog of hits. Each year, the legendary rap band — led by drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and rap don Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter — customarily play a set of their own songs before backing one of the headliners. This was the case in previous years for acts like Usher and Pharrell Williams, so Diddy joins illustrious company.
The yearly fest will feature its freestyle rap display, the J. Period Live Mixtape, and among those joining the acclaimed DJ will be Black Thought, Eve, Busta Rhymes and husband-and-wife duo Kindred The Family Soul. Also scheduled for showcasing is a special State Property reunion, featuring former Roc-A-Fella rappers Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Peedi Crakk, Young Gunz and Oschino & Sparks.
The Isley Brothers and Roy Ayers are slated to thrill Roots Picnic attendees for its Soulquarians icons set, plus Grammy Award-nominated bassist and in-demand musical director Adam Blackstone will perform with special guests Mary Mary and CoCo Jones.
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