Sexyy Red, Jill Scott, The-Dream, and more set the bar high on the first day of the 2024 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia. Check out some of the performances below.
The annual festival opened its doors on a hot and sunny Saturday to droves of people who filled the grounds of Fairmount Park in the City of Brotherly Love. Several brand activations had treats for guests, including French liqueur brand Grand Marnier, which had a footprint where festival-goers could relax and sip on various mixed cocktails.
Earlier acts such as Kenya Vaun, BLK ODYSSY, Chioke, and more graced the festival stages before being treated to an afternoon of electrifying performances. Acclaimed DJ J.PERIOD brought his beloved THE LIVE MIXTAPE series to The Roots Picnic with Black Thought, Method Man, Redman, Common, Freeway, Ferg, and more.
Meth and Red tore the house down as usual, but it was the freestyle sessions from Black Thought, Common, and Freeway that wowed the audience. Following that performance, people made their way to the main stage to catch The-Dream hit his trademark vocals and bring lush R&B vibes to Philly.
The-Dream wasted no time letting people know he is a true R&B hitmaker with smooth renditions of "Nikki," "She Needs My Love," "Fancy," "Falsetto," "Purple Kisses," and more. Fans were enamored with the quick trip down memory lane and were left wanting more.
Nas then took over the main stage to perform his legendary catalog, even bringing out Ghostface Killah as a special surprise guest. Esco ripped through "N.Y. State of Mind," "The Message," "Spicy," "Get Down" while appropriately wearing a New York Mets baseball jersey.
The biggest part of Day 1 was the arrival of Sexyy Red with her dancers and secret service team. The St. Louis native brought her brand of rowdy and raunchy hip-hop to The Roots Picnic and turned it upside down, with fans screaming and twerking the night away.
Big Sexyy caused the ground to shake with performances of her hit songs "Bow Bow Bow (F My Baby Dad)," "SkeeYee," "Hellcats & SRTs," as well as new tracks such as "TTG" and "U My Everything." For the latter, Sexyy hit her newest dance, which is becoming a viral sensation on TikTok.
Jill Scott closed out Day 1 with her headlining set, which featured a floral stage design. For her set, Scott performed "Hate on Me," "Whatever," "The Way," "You Got Me" with Black Thought, a new track titled "Norf Philly" alongside Tierra Wack, and more.
The artists performing on Day 2 will be looking to keep the momentum going from the previous day. On the bill are Robert Glasper, Shaboozey, Wale, BabyFace, Cam'Ron, André 3000, Gunna, Lil Wayne, and the hometown heroes, The Roots. Stay tuned for more from The Roots Picnic.