May 24, 2023

Usher to replace Diddy at Roots Picnic

The Grammy-winning singer will co-headline the June 2–4 music festival alongside Lil Uzi Vert and Lauryn Hill

By Brian A. Saunders
PhillyVoice Staff

Daniel DeSlover/Sipa USA

Eight-time Grammy award–winning singer Usher will replace Diddy at this year's Roots Picnic.

The annual Roots Picnic music festival just added a special guest to this year's lineup, and he is sure to have the crowd screaming "Yeah!"

R&B singer Usher will now co-headline this year's event, held June 2–4. The eight-time Grammy award–winning superstar is replacing Diddy, whose set was to be backed by the Roots but who had to drop out due to unforeseen circumstances. Usher joins Lil Uzi Vert, Lauryn Hill and other artists at the Mann Center festival.

This will be Usher's first appearance at the Roots Picnic since 2016. The singer, with over 75 million records sold, is bringing his Parks MGM Las Vegas residency performance to Philly.

The Roots Picnic will kick off Friday, June 2, with a stand-up comedy act from Dave Chappelle at the Wells Fargo Center. (Tickets to this performance are sold separately and are currently sold out.) His cell phone–free show is the first comedy set to be part of the lineup; Chappelle's 2018 Roots Picnic performance was canceled because of severe weather.

Lauryn Hill is slated to perform the entire tracklist from her critically acclaimed debut album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."

Along with Lil Uzi Vert, several other Philly natives are slated to appear at this year's festival, including DJ Drama, Kindred the Family Soul and Eve.

Other featured acts include Ari Lennox, City Girls, Busta Rhymes and a set by Roy Ayers and the Isley Brothers.

There will also be a podcast stage featuring "Off The Record With DJ Akademiks," "Questlove Supreme," "Don't Call Me White Girl," "Lip Service With Angela Yee," "People's Party With Talib Kweli" and a show from Charlamagne Tha God.

Check out the full lineup below.

Fresh off his Vegas residency, @Usher has been added as a special guest to co-headline the @rootspicnic at the @MannCenter in Philadelphia, PA!!

Single and 2-day tickets available now at https://t.co/Ukx5cyzzLB pic.twitter.com/SK3vzGsSXW
— Live Nation NYC (@LiveNationNYC) May 24, 2023

Single-day and two-day admission passes to the festival are available here.

Since its inaugural year in 2007, the Roots Picnic has become one of the country's premier music festivals for hip-hop culture. Artists such as the Weeknd, Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, Phantogram, Nas, A$AP Rocky and Will Smith have performed.