Music
The Roots Picnic London: redefining legacy
The term “legacy act” gets thrown around flippantly in conversations surrounding hip hop and R&B, often with a disparaging ageist undertone. But the first ever UK edition of the Roots Picnic made room for a more acute definition of legacy. One that marks years of experience, being innovators of a sound, and creating timeless and unifying bodies of work. On 8 and 9 August 2026, the Crystal Palace Bowl transformed into a hub of celebration for Black music. From Questlove’s opening DJ sets to J.Period’s Live Mixtape with Black Thought and special guests to Floetry’s return to the stage; Roots Picnic London was a history-making moment for artists and attendees alike.
“I first came to London in 1994,” Nas told the crowd during his closing set on Saturday. “I went down to a place called Brixton and realised y’all were just like us.” He’s referring to the similarities across Black diasporic cultures, and the interconnectedness we feel regardless of locations. It was only right that in the first international expansion of The Roots’ pivotal festival happened in London, with a recognition of the cross-cultural convergence between the US and the UK. Here are our highlights of London’s very first Roots Picnic.
Day one
J. Period‘s Live Mixtape
Brooklyn’s J.Period, opened up the Live Mixtape on stage by testing the audience’s hip hop knowledge with a DJ set that included ‘Simon Says’ by Pharoahe Monch and ‘Sound Of Da Police’ by KRS-One, before introducing the one and only Black Thought to the stage. There is often a conversation concerning who the greatest of all time amongst fans of rap, but allow this review to toss Black Thought’s hat in the ring. The MC freestyled over some of the genre’s most beloved and recognisable beats with the breath control of a trained opera singer and a presence on stage that only a four-decade career could produce. Black Thought wasted no minute of his performance, giving the audience a breeze through his solo and group catalogue without missing a bar or a beat. A particular highlight of Black Thought’s performance was a live rendition of his Hot 97 Freestyle; a cult classic Flex Freestyle that the entire audience rapped along to, and further proof that Black Thought’s contributions to music are paramount to hip hop culture.
“We’re crossing our fingers that Yasiin Bey is able to join us but until then I have some special guests for you guys,” we’re reassured. Not that Yasiin Bey is someone to forget, but with special appearances from Benny The Butcher, Rapsody and Common, his absence for the first half of the Live Mixtape was not as prevalent. Benny and Black Thought transformed into a hive mind on stage, bouncing off each other’s performances with the rawness of a street cypher. Over the instrumental of Wu-Tang‘s ‘C.R.E.A.M’, Benny The Butcher was also proud to state that he was going “back and forth with the legendary Black Thought” – a moment speaking to his wider legacy and how pivotal it was to see the rappers share the stage both for them and for the audience. And with playfully poignant lyrics such as “Blackness is not a monolith / a lot n***** need to see a psychologist” permeating through the air, there was clear theme of togetherness, celebration and reflection for the community present.
Rapsody refreshingly provided a woman’s perspective after Black Thought and Benny The Butcher’s Live Mixtape performances, rapping over a Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Bonita Applebum’, Tupac’s ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted’ and Clipse’s ‘Grindin’‘. There was no need to prove herself to anyone; her demeanour was calm and collected, her freestyles were witty and politically charged, her delivery was unstrained. We hung onto every word as she changed the locations in her lyrics to reflect “London city”. (A trend that continued long after her Live Mixtape appearance, with Common, Nas and Black Thought adopting the same technique thereafter). Unabashed in her stance, she took time to remind us of what was most important, “a lot more love and peace” for people in Congo, Sudan and Palestine.
While Common wasn’t initially on the line-up for day one, Yasiin Bey’s delay allowed fans to enjoy a surprise visit. There is truly no one more joyful than Common on stage, and that joy continued to radiate long after he left the it. His live renditions of ‘I Used to Love H.E.R’, ‘The Light’, and ‘Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)’ with London’s very own Demae felt like hearing your favourite hymns as a congregation. His freestyles, which took up most of his set time, were a demonstration of years of honed skill and natural-born talent.
Accompanied by Black Thought, the MC gave a masterclass in hip hop and performance, and it felt especially moving to hear both rappers perform Common’s ‘Come Close’ over Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Waiting In Vain’ at the Crystal Palace Bowl. The venue is known for hosting Marley back in 1980, where he famously debuted ‘Redemption Song’. Further proof that the Roots Picnic wasn’t just a summer festival, but a way to commemorate the Black diaspora’s music and history.
Yasiin Bey’s arrival was worth the wait, as he joined Black Thought and Common on stage and all three rappers performed his catalogue together. There wasn’t a moment where his energy dropped – if anything, it was more frenetic, unabashed and infectious as the evening went on. Concluding with ‘Ms. Fat Booty’, Bey and Black Thought made room for all the rappers from the Live Mixtape for a reprise, wrapping up the segment with a neatly tied unifying bow.
Sasha Keable
It was only right to have a South London artist at the Crystal Palace Bowl for Roots Picnic, and who better to represent contemporary UK R&B than Sasha Keable? Her silky smooth, pretty-much studio-perfect vocals enveloped the audience, inviting us all to listen to stories of love, heartbreak, yearning and sensuality. The contrast between the gravitas of her songwriting and her bubbly interjections between songs served as a lovely reminder that she was just like us, one of us, and that “one of us” has the capacity and power to be a conduit for timeless music.
Nas and The Roots
Another point for this review to toss Black Thought’s hat into the ring in the conversation surrounding the greats, this time joined by Questlove, Tuba Gooding Jr. and the rest of the legendary band. Another masterclass in performance, there was not a moment where the band stopped moving, gliding between dancing, jumping, playing their instruments and hyping the crowd. Whilst Black Thought’s earlier performance during the Live Mixtape was organic and improvisational, the addition of the full band felt organic in a whole new way.
The live interpretations of classic hip hop instrumentals and interpolations added a layer of texture to each song, with clean and continuous transitions throughout the setlist. Hits such as ‘Proceed’ and Main Source’s ‘Looking At The Front Door’ felt fresh and reimagined, especially with the horn section playing melodies that could’ve very well been right at home during Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. It seemed very intentional to show love and appreciation to different regions of Black music, all held together seamlessly by Questlove’s expert hand on the drums.
Nas’ entrance to ‘Don’t Hate Me Now’ shifts the atmosphere from a playful joy to grittier anticipation of what was to come. There was an elatedness that permeated throughout the audience but also a preparation to receive his hard-hitting lyricism and subject material. Decked out in an all-black tracksuit, Nas revealed the story of the first time he visited London in 1994, when he went to Brixton and realised the Black community here in the UK are “just like us”. The sincerity in his storytelling was an apt way to conclude day one, after high-octane performances of ‘Owe Me Back’, ‘If I Ruled The World’ and more. “I love this rap sh*t,” he exclaimed as visuals of all his albums across his expansive career play on the screen in the background. And we all felt it.
Day two
Robert Glasper and Questlove
The second day of Roots Picnic London was for the R&B lovers, which was facilitated by Questlove and pianist, producer and arranger Robert Glasper. “What the f*ck is up London?” Glasper bellowed, before showing us a maestro at work on the keys, complimenting Questlove’s mastery of the drums. They both play with a tongue-in-cheek rascal-like humour on stage, reminding us that music isn’t a gimmick for them but something that they both enjoy and share with others. Questlove told the audience of The Roots’ time living in Kentish Town back in the day, stating that “everything [they] learned about a festival [they] learned here.” So, Roots Picnic has London to thank for its existence, and London has The Roots to thank for a weekend of masterful live music. The pair were joined by R&B vocalist Bilal with a pitch-perfect performance of neo soul hits, including ‘Soul Sista’. Common was the final piece to the puzzle, joining the artists on stage for a tribute to the late J Dilla and a performance of ‘The Light.’
Floetry
The boundary-breaking neo soul duo from Camberwell made their return to a UK stage at the Crystal Palace Bowl after years away – a fitting setting for the patron saints of South London. There wasn’t any sign of their hiatus in their stage presence, vocal delivery or energy on stage, as Floetry delivered one of the best and highly anticipated performances of the night. Marsha Ambrosius’ operatic tone complemented Natalie Stewart’s poetic rap delivery all throughout their set, from ‘SupaStar’ (with an appearance from Common) to ‘Say Yes’ (with Robert Glasper on the keys). ‘SupaStar’ actually received the “reload” treatment, after technical difficulties affected Common’s mic and we weren’t able to hear him. After an impassioned plea from the crowd, Floetry brought Common back and allowed him to repeat is verse, this time with a working mic. The dialogue between audience and artist is what made Roots Picnic so special; we were a community working together to enjoy this singular musical experience. We were a community that celebrate Blackness in all its beauty. As Stewart said during Floetry’s set, “this is unification.”
A special shout goes to the boy working at the McDonald’s in Camberwell who was the inspiration for Marsha Ambrosius’ ‘Butterflies’. Your legacy lives on in one of the most beloved R&B songs of all time.
Photos by Joseph Okpako/WireImage for Getty Images
