During The Roots’ first ever New York City Roots Picnic, the lucky attendees were privy to a rare performance that featured a recreation of Marley Marl’s infamous 1988 posse cut, “The Symphony,” which originally boasted vocals from The Juice Crew’s Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Craig G, and Masta Ace.
Dubbed “The Symphony 2016,” this time around, Big Daddy Kane, Black Thought, Kool G Rap, Pharoahe Monch, Royce Da 5’9″, Boot Camp Clik’s Smif-N-Wessun, and Craig G all contributed their iconic voices to the mix.
The two-day event also included performances by D’Angelo, Wu-Tang Clan, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Swiss Beatz, EPMD, John Mayer, David Byrne, The Jungle Brothers, and more. There were a number of unexpected guests such as Common and Dave Chappelle as well.
Check out the 1988 version of “The Symphony” below and the 2016 recreation above.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNRx4hWOJdc
