W ithin minutes of arriving at the studio for their Musicians on Musicians shoot, Redman and Black Thought are exchanging daps and catching up like old friends — because they are. The two voluble MCs, who took parallel paths to fame in the Nineties, laugh and swap stories in the …
Read More »Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jimmy Fallon Perform 'Hamilton' Medley With Classroom Instruments
Lin-Manuel Miranda stopped by The Tonight Show to discuss Hamilton heading to movie theaters and took the opportunity to perform a medley of songs from the musical using classroom instruments. The musicians and composer was joined by host Jimmy Fallon and house band the Roots for the lively performance, which …
Read More »Hometown Heroes and Cross-Genre Icons: Seven Takeaways from Roots Picnic 2025
Another Roots Picnic is in the books. For two days, thousands of music lovers descended upon Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park to check out a wide array of acts, from R&B and pop stars such as Maxwell, Miguel, and Tems to rappers like Meek Mill, GloRilla, Latto, and everything in between. Though …
Read More »D'Angelo Cancels Roots Picnic Performance Over Medical Issue
D’Angelo announced on Friday evening that he would not be performing at this year’s Roots Picnic in Philadelphia. The singer shared his “disappointment” in an Instagram post on the Roots Picnic’s social media. D’Angelo wrote that due to an “unforeseen medical delay” following a surgery he had earlier this year, …
Read More »Questlove Was 'Shocked' by Kendrick Lamar's Homage to the Roots In 'Squabble Up' Video
Questlove recently dropped by The Jennifer Hudson Show, sharing his reaction to finding out that Kendrick Lamar paid homage to the Roots in a music video for his monumental GNX album, which released last year. When discussing his influence on other artists, Hudson pointed out the scene from Lamar’s “Squabble …
Read More »The Roots, Soccer Mommy, and More Lead 2025 SummerStage Concerts Across NYC
New York City‘s sprawling outdoor performing arts festival is back. The Roots, Soccer Mommy, Big Freedia, Camilo, Bob Sinclair, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and more lead this year’s Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage with more than 70 shows in 13 parks across all five boroughs. According to a …
Read More »Janelle Monáe, the Roots, Jacob Collier Lead Stacked Newport Jazz Fest Lineup
Newport Jazz Festival has unveiled a star-studded lineup for its summer weekend. Janelle Monáe, the Roots, and Jacob Collier will headline the three-day event, which will take place Aug. 1-3 at Fort Adams State Park in Rhode Island. The rest of the bill is just as stacked. Raye, Willow, Esperanza …
Read More »Black Thought and the Roots Join John Legend for Spirited 'Used to Love U' Performance on 'Fallon'
John Legend brought the snap-and-clap spirit of the church to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The musician took the stage with special guest Black Thought and Tonight Show house band the Roots for a spirited performance of “Used to Love U” from his very first album Get Lifted. The …
Read More »Miley Cyrus, Brittany Howard, the Roots Perform a Rousing 'Nothing Compares 2 U' on 'SNL50'
Miley Cyrus, Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, and the Roots teamed up for an excellent tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor during SNL50: The Anniversary Specialon Sunday. Aubrey Plaza, who made her first public appearance following the death of her husband Jeff Baena, introduced the performance. Backed by the Roots, Cyrus …
Read More »Lil Wayne Performs a Career-Spanning Medley of His Hits on 'SNL50'
Lil Wayne’s latest big performance may not have happened on Super Bowl Sunday, but he did appear in a super-sized Saturday Night Live blowout with the celebration of its 50th anniversary SNL50 special, which aired live on Sunday. Backed by the Roots, the New Orleans rapper performed an explosive career-spanning …
Read More »