UPDATE:  Cosmo Baker‘s official Roots Picnic mixtape is now available as a download! Due to popular demand (True story. Our favorite tweet: “Like my man Cinque said: Give us FREE!“). Seems only right that a picnic mix should be free play any device you picnic with on Memorial Day and we fully expect that this shit will be the official soundtrack of all picnics that take place in summer 2013. But don’t let that dissuade you from being there for the real thing–you now have 1 week to get these jams so deep in your soul that you can shout along to every hook and mosh out to every breakdown at Roots Picnic. Get tickets below! And don’t say we never did nothing for you. See you in Philly.

>>>Buy Tickets For Roots Picnic 2013

Roots Picnic is almost here y’all! This year Philly’s own Cosmo Baker–the least hatable DJ in the entire world?–has blessed Okayplayer with his prodigious talents and midas phonographic touch in assembling our Official Roots Picnic 2013 Mixtape, featuring picnic jams from all the artists on the bill including (duh) The Roots, Naughty By Nature, DJ Premier, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, How To Dress Well, Trinidad James, Solange Knowles and a grip more (scroll down for the full tracklisting).

Longtime Okayplayers know Cosmo’s Philly roots run deep and this collaboration felt especially powerful coming in the same year as Fluid–the dancefloor of which both Cosmo and ?uestlove made into their DJ home over the years, so we asked him to speak on it, which he did most eloquently. You can read Cosmo’s thoughts after the mix, which is what you came here for! So without further ado, Cosmo Baker & Okayplayer present: The Official Roots Picnic 2013 Mixtape:

“At the 11th Hour it seemed like a good idea to write some sort of introduction to this mix and I gave it some thought as to what I was going to touch upon, but understand this is harder than it may seem. It’s difficult enough to capture everything that this collection of artists is about in the futile medium that’s one single mixtape. In the same regard, much like their entire career it’s almost impossible to pin down what The Roots, and Okayplayer are all about with just words. And that right there just may be the point.

I could take it back to 1992 or 93 when I first met these two dudes Ahmir and Tariq and this could be the story of “Philly dudes done well” or I could talk about the parallels of all or our respective career arcs and all that jazz. Or I could talk about how just some local musicans and DJs from South and West Philly have transformed into global music and cultural ambassadors.

But to me it comes down to one thing – love. The love that one has that makes one do what they do. It’s not for the money of the fame, but for the love of music that is the single reason why we’re in this game. That’s the greatest commonality that we all share, and one of the reasons why Okayplayer is what it is today in 2013. Perhaps it’s something in our mutual Philly history, and its collective cultural fiber; from being in that one time at that one place. I don’t know, but I do know one thing: I grew up with all this, and so when I was asked to contribute this mix, it was more than an honor. It felt like I was coming back home.”

- Cosmo Baker, 2013

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Cosmo Baker x Okayplayer Present The Official Roots Picnic Mixtape 2013 [Tracklist]

DJ Premier “Young Gifted & Black Intro”
Gang Starr “Full Clip”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “Thrift Shop”
The Roots “Dynamite”
How To Dress Well “Running Back”
Sonnymoon feat. Melo-X “Htlv (Houstatlantavegas) (Melo-X Remix)”
Naughty By Nature “Hip-Hop (DJ Scene 2013 Remix)
Trinidad James “All Gold Everything (Emynd NOLA Bounce Remix)
Robert Glasper “Black Radio feat. Yasin Bey (Pete Rock Remix)”
The Gaslamp Killer “Anything Worse”
The Roots “The Seed 2.0″
Solange “Losing You”
Jennah Bell “Monster Killer”
Solange “Sandcastle Disco”
The Roots “How I Got Over”
Duck Sauce “Grand Steppin”
Grimes “Circumambient”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “Can’t Hold Us feat. Ray Dalton”
Grimes “Oblivion”
A-Trak “Tuna Melt feat. Tommy Trash (Grandtheft Remix)”
Jay-Z & Kanye “Niggas In Paris”
Trinidad James “Females Welcome”
AraabMuzik “The Prince Is Coming”
The Gaslamp Killer “Impulse feat. Daedelus”
Kendrick Lamar “Backseat Freestyle”
A$AP Rocky “Goldie”
Gang Starr “Above The Clouds feat. Inspectah Deck”
Robert Glasper “Twice feat. Solange (?uestlove’s Twice Baked Remix)”
Gary Clark Jr. “The Life”
Joey Bada$$ “Waves”
Naughty By Nature “Jamboree feat. Zhane”
Smoke DZA “Gotham City feat. Joey Bada$$”
AraabMuzik “Hammer Dance”
The Roots “Act Too… The Love Of My Life feat. Common”
Shlohmo “Don’t Say No feat. How To Dress Well”
Lushlife “Magnolia”

The post Cosmo Baker x Okayplayer Present: The Official Roots Picnic 2013 Mixtape! appeared first on Okayplayer.

The Roots mural commissioned by the City of Philadelphia to honor the legendary Illadelphians, is to be unveiled and dedicated at a ceremony on Friday, May 31st. Fostering community engagement through citywide paint days, as well as the launch of the coinciding “Roots 101″ youth lecture series, this two-year project has celebrated the huge impact of The Roots on both the Philly and hip-hop communities they represent with such love and pride. The visual celebration of hip-hop’s biggest figures has long been a tradition of street artists and the like – as the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program is one of the most prolific of its kind, it’s only fitting they honor one of the city’s most beloved cultural heroes in a most official capacity. Designed by the very talented Tatyana Fazlalizadeh and Amber Art and Design, the dedication of this mural in one of the nation’s oldest cities is a testament to The Roots’ significant place not only in hip hop, but to American culture at large. If you’re in Philly, be sure to attend the ceremony on Friday, May 31st where there will be food, drinks, and a special appearance by the Legendary Roots Crew themselves. Check the info below.

The Roots Mural Dedication
Friday, May 31, 2013
11:30 a.m.
World Communications Charter School
512 S. Broad Street (use South Street entrance)

The post The Roots Mural To Be Unveiled + Dedicated In Philly [5/31] appeared first on Okayplayer.

J. Cole and The Roots smash out a powerful live performance of Cole’s heavy single “Power Trip” on the set of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon from last night’s show. The official jawn, of course, is a Miguel collabo but Mr. Unlimited was nowhere to be seen this time around (maybe he is still rubbing Khyati’s feet for the next 100 days as apology for that flying soopa-dooplex he put on her the other night. Sorry, couldn’t resist. Insert your own Miguel-legdrop meme or joke here–its fun!). Which could have been a potential problem, seeing as some previous live renditions we’ve seen of this particular love/hate song have definitely felt like “The Miguel show, featuring J. Cole.”

But Cole definitely brought the requisite intensity to bring the song’s emotional punch home, however. And The Roots definitely brought the requisite drama, the requisite slow-building groove and the requisite crashing cymbal crescendoes to the backing track. In fact, if this performance was your introduction to the song you might be like “Whoa. J. Cole & The Roots is a tuff band. I might have to check these cats out. Who’s Miguel?” In which case you might also be like “what’s a google?” which is maybe just as well because some of the thing rap nerds been saying about Cole online lately would just ruin your high. Speaking for myself I have to say that Cole’s contributions to hip-hop and pop culture have ranged from inspiring to tepid over the last year and change. But I’d like to see Big Ghost call him the ‘human croc shoe’ after this. Definitely bears repeated viewings00get started below:

The post J. Cole x The Roots – “Power Trip” Live On Jimmy Fallon appeared first on Okayplayer.

De La Soul live from 30 Rock! The Native Tongue OGs appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night to perform two of their classic songs. Backed by The Roots, the legendary rap trio brought back memories of their incredible set from last year’s Roots Picnic. I half expected them to perform the Wu-Tang sampling new single “Get Away.” Instead they treated the network television audience to 3 Feet High and Rising’s “Jenifa Taught Me.” If that wasn’t enough, they ripped through “A Rollerskating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’” as a bonus online exclusive. These dudes carry so much energy and charisma in their performance game, I wish other MCs would take notice and aim for half as much stage presence as De La Soul live. As we wait for info on their forthcoming album You’re Welcome, check out the double dose of De La Soul below (and if you’re in Brooklyn, get your grub on with De La when they play the Great Googa Mooga foodie fest tomorrow in Prospect Park).

The post De La Soul Live With The Roots On Jimmy Fallon ["Jenifa"; "Saturdays] appeared first on Okayplayer.

Legendary Jersey MC Treach sat in with The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to perform the Naughty By Nature classic “O.P.P.” Treach’s visit to Fallon comes after a bit of controversy over a very public spat between Naughty group members that resulted in Treach renouncing bandmate Vinnie via Twitter. Despite the beef, it is very clear that Treach hasn’t lost a step. His rapid-fire flow peppers The Roots’ rock-inflected take on the original. Treach’s performance with The Roots comes ahead of the 6th Annual Roots Picnic, going down in Philly on June 1st. Check the performance below. Purchase tickets to see Treach and The Roots at the 6th Annual Roots Picnic via Ticketmaster.

The post Treach & The Roots Perform “O.P.P.” Live On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon appeared first on Okayplayer.

Bilal joined The Roots onstage yesterday at Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to perform the Steely Dan classic “Black Cow” at the top of the show. Bilal’s performances with The Roots remain a homecoming of sorts, as the Philly natives team relatively often in the interest of shutting down a live performance or two. In this particular instance, Bilal flexes his proficiency for scatting toward the end of the performance. His voice darts around the ceiling of his bright tenor falsetto with ease as The Roots maintain a baseline of cooled out funk that only serves to accentuate the jam. The performance is also highlighted by a dope keyboard solo. Check the footage below. Purchase Bilal’s latest LP A Love Surreal via iTunes.

The post Bilal x The Roots On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon appeared first on Okayplayer.

Welcome to Okayplayer’s Top 16 Summer Festivals of 2013. It’s just about summa summa summatime and for us, the music-obsessed, that means it’s time to scrape together some cash and hit up as many festivals as possible! Acts like Wu-Tang Clan and Kendrick Lamar are going to be hard to miss, hitting the main stage and rocking many a crowd from New York to Manchester, TN. On the other hand, Shuggie Otis, Prince, and D’angelo are a few artists making rare, one off appearances. To help you better narrow down your ultimate search, we at Okayplayer bring you the 2013 Festival Guide. Click through for full artist lineups, ticket information, and everything else you will need to know to assure that you attend the hottest fests this summer.   Our top summer festivals 2013 round-up begins here.

The post Okayplayer’s Top 18 Summer Festivals 2013 appeared first on Okayplayer.

Eve hit the stage at Late Night With Jimmy Fallon for a performance of “Make It Out This Town” – the lead single from her forthcoming LP Lip Lock, dropping May 14th. This album is the first in eleven years for the Philly-bred MC. Her performance with The Roots may serve as a point of nostalgia for fans of “You Got Me” – their collaborative track from 1999′s Things Fall Apart, featuring Erykah Badu. Eve performed her inspirational new single in a show-stopping yellow dress with a little help from Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship on the triumphant hook. Proving she has yet to lose a step, Eve had the crowd on their feet by the end of the song. Check the performance below. Purchase Lip Lock via iTunes.

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Just in case you missed it, ?uestlove and John Legend sat for an interview with AOL Music to discuss their musical origins, politically driven inspiration and the collaborative work that went into their Wake Up! LP, following its 2010 release. The pair offer a bit of insight into the earliest stages of the project and the more difficult aspects of production in the six-part discussion. With John Legend and The Roots in one room, a performance was bound to happen. The crew ran through four songs from the 12-track project, including “Wake Up Everybody” – the title track courtesy of Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, “Little Ghetto Boy” by Donny Hathaway, “Hard Times” by Curtis Mayfield and “Shine” – an original track from Legend. Check the interview below. Scroll down for a link to the performances.

>>>View The Wake Up! Sessions Here

The post ?uestlove x John Legend – “Wake Up Everybody” + More [AOL Sessions Pt. 1-6] appeared first on Okayplayer.

Talib Kweli hit the stage at Late Night With Jimmy Fallon with Bilal and The Roots to perform “Come Here” – something new and fresh for the lovers from his forthcoming LP Prisoner Of Conscious. Kweli and Bilal pick up where they left off with “Talk To You (Lil’ Darlin)” and knock another one out of the park with this doo-wop inspired dose of grown folks music. Kweli takes to the speedy bpm – where he often shines as a lyricist – like water. His delivery is only buoyed by Bilal’s spotless falsetto against the soulful groove and sick pocket of percussion laid down by The Roots. The Roots also dropped a crazy performance with Toronto MC k-os to warm the audience up during the Fallon pre-show festivities a few nights ago. He performed “Try Again” – a track from his forthcoming LP Black On Blonde featuring Black Thought. Check both performances below. Purchase Prisoner Of Conscious via iTunes.

Spotted at MWP

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