Making a good Roots’ mix is a damn near insurmountable task. Did I succeed? I guess that’s debatable. But with news coming out from the Roots’ camp regarding this year’s Roots Picnic (the sixth annual,) I figured it would be a good time to try. As for the Picnic, it’s back to a one day affair, which I totally support, but unfortunately is sporting a line-up that I’m not really that on board with.
Once you get past the Roots and Gary Clark, Jr., there isn’t much that I’m interested in.
I’ve h
eard Philly’s Lushlife is pretty good live (his album was great) and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are supposed to be hot up and comers. But do I really care about seeing Naughty by Nature live? Not really. I went to the first day of last year’s show and frankly and honestly, really only enjoyed the last couple hours- specifically De La Soul backed by the Roots and then the Roots’ set. The rest of the acts just didn’t do it for me. I have a feeling that the organizers of the festival are going to have to have a serious conversation about the future of the event in the next year or so- do they want it to continue to be a Questlove mix tape or do they want to make it more marketable. I generally hate meetings, but that’s definitely one I wouldn’t any part of.
So that brings us to the Giddy Up America Official Roots Playlist.
Tracklist:
Right On
Guns Are Drawn
Datskat
One Time
Star/Pointro
Lighthouse
Radio Daze
The Fire (with John Legend)
The Other Side (with Bilal)
Now or Never (with Dice Raw)
How I Got Over
Our Generation (with John Legend)
Here I Come
Adrenaline
Clones
Don’t Feel Right
In the Music
Hard Times (with John Legend)
Concerto of the Desperado
Break You Off
Push Up Ya Lighter
Mellow My Man
Double Trouble (with Mos Def)
Long Time
Duck Down!
Don’t See Us
Livin’ in the New World
Little Ghetto Boy (with John Legend)
The Next Movement
Lazy Afternoon
Lift Your Fist (with Guru)
Stomp
100% Dundee
I Remain Calm
Distortion to Static
Hustla
Giddy Up America 
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