Hip Hop icons The Roots are coming to the 45th edition of the Ottawa Jazz Festival!

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, April 23, 2025

"They are not merely the world’s best hip hop band—but one of the great musical outfits of our time." — Rolling Stone

Ottawa (April 17, 2025) – On June 22 the ever-popular, eclectic and genre defying hip hop band The Roots completes the Festival’s dynamic headliner lineup, which runs from June 20 – 29, 2025.

Formed in 1987 in Philadelphia, PA, by the prolific and powerful MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, drummer and Academy Award winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Kamal Gray (electronic keyboards), F. Knuckles (percussion), Captain Kirk Douglas (electronic guitar), Damon Bryson (sousaphone) and James Poyser (electronic keyboard). Together they’ve built a reputation as one of the most respected and innovative hip hop acts. Named one of the "50 Greatest Live Acts" by Rolling Stone, The Roots are also widely known as the houseband on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" performing live for millions every weeknight.

This marks The Roots’ third appearance at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and an ideal capstone to the 45th Anniversary celebration. As the Ottawa Sun wrote of their 2015 performance:

“And while Tonight Show viewers are only treated to snippets around commercial breaks The Roots got to strut their stuff in front of a packed Confederation Park.” – Aedan Helmer.

Tickets for this show and more information will be available by Wednesday, April 23, 2025. In the meantime, visit the lineup at ottawajazzfestival.com to purchase passes & tickets.

Stay tuned for still more announcements.