For the last decade, many have traveled to Festival Pier in Philadelphia, P.A., to witness an experience like no other — topped with amazing performances, panelists and podcasts from some of the biggest and most beloved influencers of the culture. As expected, Roots Picnic 2018 was lit, hands down. The annual picnic held its 11th consecutive festival this past weekend, and it was nothing short of extraordinary. From scheduled performances, to the number of surprise guests, Festival Pier rocked out in a summer-like atmosphere all Saturday afternoon and night.
The set list included Philadelphia’s own, Lil Uzi Vert, Goldlink, The Diplomats, Rich the Kid, DJ Drama and more. Known for his Gangsta Grillz mixtapes, DJ Drama surprised Roots Picnic attendees with some unexpected guests. As the “What We Do” sample blasted the speakers, Freeway took over the stage to give his hometown a taste of the classic Roc-A-Fella sound. Energized from the previous performance, T.I. stormed the stage to cause more crowd pandemonium. DJ Drama kept the ATL vibe as Lil Baby jumped into the spotlight to give fans two of his biggest hits to date, “That’s My Dog” and the Drake-assisted, “Yes Indeed.” The latter single currently sits at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
This year featured Freddy vs. Jason duo Fabolous and Jadakiss. Styles P joined the duo to deliver some LOX classics. And the Young OG brought the hits as well.
Despite an altercation prior to the festival between Lil Uzi Vert and Rich the Kid, both artists brought the energy. Coincidentally, Rich the Kid’s set occurred in the midst of some audio issues.
Dressed in a red harness and red pants, Lil Uzi served hit after hit. The “XO Tour Lif3” artist opted out of crowd diving from the roof, but that didn’t take away from the fans’ energy.
Although there was a forccast of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms throughout the day, mother nature cooperated until the final set of the night. Ten minutes into The Roots Jam Session with Dave Chappelle, the show was cut short due to hazardous weather.
Philly: this is a hazard. Of course I can play in ANY situation but lives are on the line and it’s a hazzard. If someone were to get electrocuted or worse —-I can’t have that on my head man. The city told us to stop for a bit
— T'Questlove (@questlove) June 3, 2018
The Session would have included 2 Chaniz and Brandy with special guests Common and Busta Rhymes.
The Roots Picnic continues to be a music and cultural, pre summer phenomenon. It comes highly recommended. Peep some of the best images from the 11th annual Roots Picnic.
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- Donovan Carter
Photo Credit: Donovan Carter
