The last time the Roots held their Roots Picnic festival, it was a virtual affair. In 2020, the Roots, the long-running Philly rap greats, teamed up with Michelle Obama for a remote webcast that featured guests like H.E.R. and Lil Baby. Today, the Roots have announced that the Roots Picnic is once again returning to Philadelphia this June. It’ll be the first in-person Roots Picnic since 2019. A lot has happened to the Roots since then. ?uestlove has become an Oscar-nominated documentarian, and the Roots have a Philly street named after them. On a much sadder note, two former members of the band, rapper Malik B. and bassist Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, have died. Expect this festival to be an emotional one.

At past Roots Picnics, the Roots have booked collaborative sets, backing up legendary stars, and they’re bringing that tradition back for this year’s fest. As this year’s big headlining act, the Roots will back up Mary J. Blige. The timing couldn’t be better; two nights ago, MJB absolutely crushed her segment of Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. Mary J. Blige and the Roots are some of the best live performers out there, and it’s exciting to think about them joining forces.

The rest of the Roots Picnic lineup features some of the heaviest hitters in R&B today. Summer Walker, WizKid, Jazmine Sullivan, and Kamasi Washington are all booked, and the poster also promises a “SoulQuarian Jam Session” with Keyshia Cole, SWV, and Musiq Soulchild. On the rap side, the Roots’ Black Thought will team with J Period for one his live mixtapes, which will also feature Rick Ross and Benny The Butcher. The rest of the lineup has a lot more big names, including Masego, Kirk Franklin, G Herbo, Tierra Whack, Freddie Gibbs, Mickey Guyton, Chief Keef, Yebba, Babyface Ray, and serpentwithfeet. Rakim, one of the greatest rappers of all time, will do a collaborative set with Philly legend DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Roots allies Robert Glasper and Bilal will perform together. The two-day festival goes down 6/4-5 at the Mann at Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. Check out all the details here.