The Roots Present Philly 4th Of July Jam f/ J. Cole, Jill Scott + More [Photos + Recap]

It was another one for the (American History) books as The Roots led the Philly 4th of July Jam on Philadelphia's benjamin Franklin Parkway on Independence Day (side note: Ben Franklin, one the baddest MFs that ever did it). The celebration recognized Unce Sam's birthday bashment with a packed lineup including J. Cole, Jill Scott, Grace Potter, Ne-Yo and Hunter Hayes. The event billed as the largest free concert in America was hosted by comedian Kevin Hart and played host to a massive crowd; organizers expected over 600,000 people to pack the parkway in Philadelphia for the show, which was broadcast across the country by VH1. The Roots opened with "The Seed" before jumping into "Apache," sending the crowd into a frenzy. The Legendary continued to get the crowd hype with the equally legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff on the 1s and 2s for a mash of classic party jams and heavy hitters from The Roots catalog, including "Get Busy." Jill Scott hit the stage next with a set that included the D.C. go-go themed anthem "It's Love" and fan favorite "The Way." Jill dropped a treat on the crowd during a commercial break with an untelevised performance of "Blessed" before jumping into a heartfelt rendition of "Home" from The Wiz followed by her 2004 smash "Golden." The entire set was anchored by the percussive dream team of ?uestlove, George "Spanky" McCurdy, Adam Blackstone and Frank Knuckles: in a word - bananas! Grace Potter followed Jill Scott with a mind-blowing performance and Cole, Mayer and Ne-Yo all did their respective (and very different) damn things. Click through Yusuf Yuie's amazing flicks above to relive the whole experience.