Who to see at The Roots Picnic, besides The Roots and Jill Scott

The Philadelphians that top the bill at the Mann Center this weekend need no introductions.

If you’re going to The Roots Picnic, of course you’re going to see Jill Scott, who headlines on Saturday, and The Roots, who close out the festival on Sunday. (There is also aRoots set on Saturday night, celebrating New Orleans with Lil Wayne, Trombone Shorty, and PJ Morton, that will be unlike any they’ve played before.)

This list of who not to miss at this most Philadelphian of multistage music festivals goes beyond hometown heroes, but still can’t cover all the worthy acts playing the Picnic.

This year’s stacked lineup includes Philly rapper Ot7Quanny and vocal showcase They Have the Range on Saturday, plus gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard and veteran rappers Cam’ron and Wale on Sunday.

Also of note: Picnic activities get underway with Roots Picnic Con, a free-with-RSVP confab on Friday at the Fillmore that features music, business, and education panel discussions, plus a keynote from Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and remarks by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.

Roots Picnic two-day passes and single-day tickets are available at RootsPicnic.com

Here then are 12 picks to click at the 2024 Roots Picnic.

Last year, Ms. Lauryn Hill celebrated The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and added a Fugees reunion as a bonus. This year’s commemoration of a classic album is Nas’ Illmatic, the artful 1994 debut by the Brooklyn-born rapper that’s regularly ranked as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.

When Cowboy Carter was released, Shabboozey wrote on X: “2 SONGS ON A BEYONCÉ ALBUM?!?!?!WHAT?!?!?! LIFE NOT EVEN REAL RN!!!” The Nigerian American country rapper was excited about his contributions to “Spaghetti” and “Sweet Honey Bucklin’.” His single “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has since topped the country charts. His album Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going is out Friday.

» READ MORE: Black Thought on why the Roots Picnic is the Philly music festival that endures

Grammy-winning jazz pianist Robert Glasper is a musical omnivore and serial collaborator with hip-hop and R&B artists. This year, he’s performing with Yebba, the West Memphis, Ark., native born Abbey Smith, who grew up singing in her father’s church, and whose stage moniker is her first name spelled backward.

St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red was a breakout star of 2023 with her risque single “Pound Town,” a highlight of the playfully lewd Hood’s Hottest Princess. The rapper born Janae Wherry’s new EP, In Sexyy We Trust, sports a Drake collab, and she’s up for a BET best new artist award in June.

This annual Picnic fixture features DJ-producer J. Period backing up The Roots’ Black Thought, who shares the stage with other rappers. This year it’s the Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man and his charismatic partner Redman, with whom he starred in the 2001 stoner film How High.

Everybody knows The-Dream’s songs. His cowrites include Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Kanye West’s “All of the Lights,” and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and 10 tracks on Cowboy Carter. The R&B and hip-hop crooner scored his biggest hits in the late ‘00s with songs like “I Love You Girl” and “Falsetto.”

The Picnic’s most-anticipated set will be by the OutKast rapper who took the hip-hop world by surprise with his ambient album New Blue Sun this year. The titles have lots of words — like “That Night in Hawaii When I Turned into a Panther and Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control … Sh¥t Was Wild.” But the songs don’t. They’re extraordinarily delicate and centered on Benjamin’s flute.

Fun fact: Bootsy Collins gave Babyface his nickname when the young guitarist was playing in Collins’ band in the 1980s. Since then, Kenny Edmonds has been a monumental success, both as a smooth crooning R&B singer and as the architect behind hits for TLC, Whitney Houston, Eric Clapton, and Boyz II Men.

For Philly bassist Adam Blackstone, backing up Justin Timberlake and Rihanna at the Super Bowl or leading the band at the Grammys or Oscars is all in a day’s work. With his Grammy-nominated Legacy project, he’s worked with vocalists like Mary Mary and Coco Jones, and this year he’s back at the Picnic with formidable former American Idol contestant Fantasia Barrino.

Don’t be confused: N3YRKLA is from Jersey but deeply Philly connected as the daughter of podcaster Gillie Tha Kid. She will be at the Picnic’s Parkside Stage on Sunday. Her new seven-song EP, It’s Not You, It’s Me, blends aggressive rock with alt-R&B.

Chances are, few will be in their seats when these practitioners of the Washington-funk subgenre known as go-go, get it go-going on Sunday afternoon at the TD Pavilion. Hard-hitting Houston rapper Scarface blended surprisingly well with them on a Tiny Desk concert last year. And things are sure to ignite when Korean American singer Amerie comes with her all-time burner, “1 Thing.”

BLK ODYSSY is Juwan Elcock, a New Jersey native now based in Austin, who deals in psychedelic soul and funk. He has a feathery touch and a voice that sneaks into falsetto range. His new single, “XXX,” picks up the pace, with a guest rap from Wiz Khalifa.