Photo of D'Angelo taken by Vickey Ford of SneakShot for Okayplayer.
The inaugural Roots Picnic in New York City happened only a few weeks ago and left quite a mark. As the tastemakers we know them to be the Legendary Roots Crew gave New York two days of memorable performances, which included headlining performances from D'Angelo and John Mayer, as well as New York's very own David Byrne, Chic and Wu-Tang Clan on night two of the celebration.
Well, two videos from the festival have dropped and if you've found yourself thinking "Man, I totally missed out this year, I for sure need to go next time," this'll surely convince you to do that. The first clip commences with the all-star jam that happened between D'Angelo, Mayer and The Roots, before going into separate performances that occurred throughout the two day event in Bryant Square Park.
"We wanted to take the concept of the Roots Picnic on steroids," Questlove accurately offers, as the video then transitions to the Jungle Brothers.
"Dear New York, I love you because you are so dirty, you are so filthy, that you gave birth to b-boys, b-girls, DJs, MCs, graffiti and hip-hop," says Jungle Brothers' Afrika Baby Bam. It's a statement that resonates throughout the video, as you see that Roots Picnic NYC is a celebration of the past and present of New York, told through not only the design of the festival but through the artists featured in the line-up.
Everyday People featuring DJ Moma, X Ambassadors, Emily Wells, Tish Hyman — from Philadelphia to New York, The Roots continue to celebrate their two homes in a way that only they can: bringing together so many different artists in one place for a good time.
"This picnic is the shit," Dave Chappelle says. "Shoutout to Questlove, the entire legendary Roots crew. Outstanding gentlemen, outstanding."
The second clip features bits and pieces from the second day, with Chic's Nile Rodgers speaking on the sounds and rhythms that the city of New York offers.
Check out the videos below to catch up on what you may have missed out on. We'll see y'all this time next year for another installment.
