Another year, another Roots Picnic on the books. This year, the legendary Roots crew staged the almost decades-old festival at Philadelphia’s Belmont Plateau, assembling a lineup that offered the best of both hip-hop and R&B across a seamless two days.

It’s no small undertaking what Questlove, Black Thought and the rest of the hometown heroes accomplish with the annual event, and 2026 was no exception. Jay-Z delivered a historic return to the stage as a headliner on Saturday night, backed by the Roots, bringing New York flair to Philly while honoring some of its most viable artists. (Read Variety‘s review here.) As he traipsed through his greatest hits, “Empire State of Mind” and “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)” among them, he also showcased the breadth of talent borne out of Philly, with guests including Jazmine Sullivan, Bilal, Meek Mill and the lot of his Roc-A-Fella crew: Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Memphis Bleek and Young Gunz.

But Jay-Z’s headlining set wasn’t the only standout of the two-day festival, which concluded on Sunday evening with a reality-bending performance from Erykah Badu. Below are some of the greatest things Variety saw across the weekend.

Kehlani Bet on Herself With Her Performance

Kehlani made her mission statement clear a few songs into her early evening set on Sunday afternoon: “I took a bet on me” to perform songs off her excellent new self-titled album, which draws from late ’90s and early aughts signifiers. The R&B singer managed to do it all, hitting meticulous choreography with six backup dancers as she centered the setlist on her new album.

That’s a risk for some artists, but Kehlani proved the potency of her latest by populating her set with newbies. She opened with “Back and Forth,” the Missy Elliott-stamped single released just before the album, and followed with “Anutha Luva” and “No Such Thing.” She sprinkled in some standards and deeper cuts — hearing “Nights Like This” and “Distraction” was a welcome jolt to the senses — and cut the instrumental from Brandy’s “Full Moon” into “Hate the Club.”

It all came together in the end with “Folded,” her two-time Grammy-winning single that’s still ringing across the charts today. She beamed at the crowd, who sang along to every word, giving her the feedback she earned.

Speaking of: Brandy Fused Pop and R&B in the Way That Only She Can

What more does Brandy need to do to prove that she’s not just the Vocal Bible, but also one of the few titans of contemporary R&B? Her performance on Saturday was a nearly perfect testament to the foundation that she’s laid since the dawn of her career in the early ’90s, mixing soul sensibilities with pop prowess as she performed very demanding songs with very demanding choreography.

Few, if any, other artists at the Roots Picnic had as many dancers on stage as Brandy, who lived up to the task and then some to deliver a wowing spectacle. It had a rocky start — “There’s no music in my ears, I don’t like that, I want to fix that,” she said after “I Thought” — yet everything seemed to fall into place. She paraded through her hits, from “Almost Doesn’t Count” and “I Wanna Be Down” (complete with a guest appearance from Yo-Yo) to “What About Us?” and “Best Friend.”

There was only one gripe, perhaps two, namely the use of A.I. for background visuals and the fact that Monica only appeared to sing “So Gone” instead of “The Boy Is Mine” as a duet. Still, those felt inconsequential to Brandy, an artist who is at the peak of her powers after all these years.

De La Soul Got an Assist From Talib Kweli

In a perfect world, De La Soul would headline every hip-hop festival across the country. But they still brought the heat during their afternoon set on Saturday, where they performed classics like “Oodles of O’s” and the very appropriate “A Rollerskating Jam Named ‘Saturdays.'” Talib Kweli made a surprise appearance halfway through to run through “The Blast” and “Get By,” only to stick around and help the group round out their performance.

Black Thought and J. Period Enlisted Wale, Big Daddy Kane and Conway the Machine

Yes, it was a bit early for Black Thought and J. Period to stage their live mixtape, but it was worth it for anyone who braved the very long lines. (Some of us, it should be noted, could only hear the first half of the set as we waited, and waited, and waited outside the gate to get in. The same gate that shut down on Saturday at 4 p.m. because it was too overpacked. Figure that out next year, please!)

But the Roots emcee truly pulled out all the tricks during the show, including Big Daddy Kane who brought hip-hop back to the essence with “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’.” Wale managed to keep the energy high despite wearing what looked like heavy clothes in Philly heat, including a verse on Amerie’s “1 Thing” and, as a throwback, “Pretty Girls.” It was hip-hop at its core, a true homage to the art form.

Erykah Badu Got Shroomy With It

Not exactly in that way, though. The analog girl in a digital world took the stage on Sunday evening to close out the festival wearing what looked like a mushroom cap on her head, accented by a frilly, droopy outfit that looked like it was designed by psilocybin. Her set was anything but trippy, a clear-eyed yet fluid interpretation of her catalog, from the throwback of “Appletree” and “On & On” to “I Want You” and “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop).” She had Alchemist along for the ride, handling the beats alongside live instrumentalists, and assured fans that she’d release their collaborative album when it’s ready. (Erykah, we’ve heard this before about other projects!)

T.I. Has Hit, After Hit, After Hit, After…

By the time Kehlani finished her set on Sunday, those who hadn’t already migrated made their way over to the Plateau Stage to see T.I., pretty much the only Southern rapper on the Roots Picnic bill. And when you got there, you realized that though it’s been a minute since his pop culture dominance, he’s got a long scroll of smashes that don’t let up. There was “Why You Wanna,” then “Fancy,” then “My Love,” “Blurred Lines,” “Whatever U Like” and “Live Your Life.” As a Roots Picnic headliner once said, he just makes the hits like a factory.

Give the DJ Some

Among the headliners and performers were the true MVPs of the weekend: the DJs. Funk Flex, DJ Diamond Kuts and Jazzy Jeff, plus many more, all kept the vibes light and the wheels greased between sets. They were the true heartbeat to the soundtrack of the weekend, which would have been stale and silent without them. A full-fledged salute!