The Roots Picnic is officially happening, and the artist lineup is an eclectic blend of talent.
The lineup for the 2025 Roots Picnic has been revealed, as seen on the festival’s official website. Lenny Kravitz, D’Angelo, and Meek Mill are slated as the primary headliners, with Tems, Latto, Glorilla, Miguel, and Kaytranada also joining the headlining lineup. The festival is set to take place from May 31 to June 1 at The Mann in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, with presale tickets launching on February 18.
The festival, heralded for its Philadelphia foundation and vastly diverse amalgamation of musical artists across a collage of genres—primarily hip-hop, conjoined with neo-soul, funk, R&B, jazz, pop, and rock—reflects the group’s rooted genres. There are truly no bounds.
Also at the helm of the lineup is the J. Period Live Mixtape, a staple feature of the festival that showcases a live, chicken-souped rap melody, led by The Roots’ lyricist, Black Thought.
Pusha T, 2 Chainz, and Jeezy—who is celebrating 20 years of his classic album Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101—along with Adam Blackstone and a special appearance by Jagged Edge, are also joining the lineup of standout performances.
The multi-Grammy-nominated Musiq Soulchild is set to take the stage to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his debut album, Aijuswanaseing, while the host band, The Roots, are slated to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their classic sophomore album, Do You Want More?!!!??!.
The Roots Picnic is often given kudos for its inclusion of localized music genres, including D.C.’s go-go, with this year featuring Baller Alert and go-go band The Backyard Band alongside CeeLo Green. Rich Medina is bringing on class acts Crystal Waters and CeCe Peniston for a fusion of house, dance, R&B, pop, and soul in his Black House Set.
Standout acts on the bill for this year’s Roots Picnic include Laila!, the Brooklyn native whose individualized R&B sound mixed with cloud rapping went viral last year following the release of her debut album, Gap Year! Her single “Not My Problem” has since victoriously amassed over 49 million streams on Spotify alone since its June 2024 release. She is also a piece of hip-hop royalty, as the daughter of Yasiin Bey (Mos Def).
Presently an emerging hip-hop, pop, and R&B act, Philly native Lay Bankz has made waves with her breakout single “Tell Ur Girlfriend,” which hit the Billboard Hot 100 and has amassed over 700 million streams worldwide, along with her viral TikTok song “Ick.” She is also set to perform at the 2025 Roots Picnic.
Other acts on this year’s bill include Funk Flex, DJ Diamond Kuts, Raheem DeVaughn, and Kirk Franklin’s Sunday School with DJ Mal-Ski.
Lenny Kravitz is currently in the midst of the European leg of his Blue Electric Light Tour, a product of the 2024 release of his 12th studio album, Blue Electric Light. Last year, Kravitz took on the role of executive producer for the Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 band album Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head). One month after his Roots Picnic headliner, the “Human” singer is set to return to Las Vegas for a five-night residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM from August 1 through 9.
D’Angelo’s return to the Roots Picnic stage marks an overall return to live performing, as the neo-soul notable has remained elusive for the past couple of years. This will be the “Brown Sugar” singer’s second time headlining the festival; he previously headlined in 2016 when it took place in New York City at Bryant Park, alongside John Mayer, Nile Rodgers, David Byrne, Alicia Keys, and the Wu-Tang Clan.
Tems is coming off some history-making accolades, including becoming the second artist in history to win a Grammy for Best African Music Performance for her hit “Love Me Jeje,” making the Nigerian songstress a 2X Grammy award winner.
Founded in 2008, The Roots Picnic is an annual festival that commemorates Black music culture while also platforming Black enterprise by featuring Black-owned businesses, including food vendors. Its happening has become an established annual affair in Philadelphia, the hometown of the 3X Grammy award-winning group, whose unique and extensive reach in the musical ecosystem aids in curating the festival’s signature lineups.
This year’s picnic promises a resilient mosaic of Black music across eras, an event bound to shed light on legendary acts and rising hypes.