Questlove of the band The Roots announced the lineup to the festival the Smoking Grooves on his Facebook page. His band the Roots will be among the headliners of the show, as well as many other popular R&B and soul artists such as Erykah Badu, Kamasi Washington, and Nas. In his Facebook post, Questlove remarks on the depth of the lineup of the festival saying that “It’s true…pssssssh even the bottom row is more lit than top row.” The festival will take place on March 19, 2022, at the LA State Historic Park. Tickets are on sale now on the festival’s website from $184.99 and up.

The Roots have long been a leading figure in modern soul music, and have gained more mainstream notoriety by serving as the inhouse band on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show. In 2020, one of their founding members, Malik B, tragically passed away at the age of 47. They were able to release an album in 2021, Do You Want More?!!!??! that was reviewed on mxdwn.com

Kamasi Washington has been very active in making music this past decade, putting his jazzy twist on many songs and working with a vast array of artists, most recently giving his rendition of a Metallica song. He frequently performs at festivals, returning to many live stages after the forced hiatus he had to take for the pandemic. Among the other names on the Festival’s lineup, Nas is a New York Rapper who has released many conscious hip hop albums over the years. Nas was also recently in a new song by The Weeknd and Belly. Erykah Badu has been a fixture in soul for multiple decades now. She was also recently announced as a headliner at H.E.R.’s Lights on Festival. Among the more pop-oriented musicians at the festival, The Internet and Toro Y Moi will bring their sound to the stages.

Photo Credit: Owen Ela