The Roots have announced “A Roots Picnic Experience: Class of ’95” with a lineup that includes Lil’ Kim, Method Man & Redman and more.
The event, scheduled to take place on June 8 at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, will feature additional performances from E-40, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Raekwon, DJ Quik, Goodie Mob, Havoc and more to be announced. The Roots will serve as the backing band for all artists.
“A Roots Picnic Experience: Class of ’95” is hosted by Live Nation Urban and the LA Phil. It comes a year after the group staged its sold-out “Roots Picnic: Hip-Hop Is the Love of My Life” at the Bowl and featured performances from Common, Queen Latifah, Arrested Development and more.
In a statement, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson says, “Well: 1995 was our true arrival. Nineteen eighty-seven was the Year of the Creative Adhesive, the year that tied together Tariq’s world and my world in high school, and 1991 was the Year of the Green Light, the year we gave ourselves permission to take our resources and passion and pursue our dream. But 1995? That was the Year It All Came Together, the year when our first major release, ‘Do You Want More?!!!??!’ was sent into the world. Hip-hop was an entirely new ballgame back then, on an entirely new playing field. Those were the days when there were still things like mainstream terrestrial radio, bloated video budgets, and creativity at both the regional and the global levels. Those were the days that produced classic album after classic album, unleashing countless new ideas about art. Those were the days when the world was our oyster. This is the story of those days.”
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The Roots launched its inaugural Roots Picnic in 2008, expanding from their native Philadelphia to other markets over the years with shows in New York and Los Angeles.
Tickets for the event go on sale on Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. PT at hollywoodbowl.com.
