Rapper Chill Moody plays The Roots Picnic this weekend

Chill Moody plays The Roots Picnic, Saturday at Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing. Tickets are at RootsPicnic.com.
Credit: Ricky Codio

Rising West Philly rapper Chill Moody is on the bill for the second time at Saturday’s The Roots Picnic. Last year, Billboard said he rocked the crowd — a crowd that included his parents.

“My favorite moment was when I was performing for 3,000 in the tent and I’m looking out at a sea of people and my mom is standing front row center, right in front of all these people,” Moody says. “It was the biggest crowd I had to that point. My dad was two people behind her.”

Moody’s urgent tenor frames his hard-knock tales of stepping up and stepping out on the streets of Philly.

“I’m not a track rapper, I’m not into a heavy electronic sense, I’m as close to boom box — the essence of hip-hop — as there is but still giving it that new age feel,” he describes

Moody’s Roots Picnic coda should be a hit as well. Other acts to look out for this year include Snoop Dogg, who will be backed by the Roots; Philly atmospheric rockers The War on Drugs, flying in from a show in Spain to make the Picnic; space chanteuse and Covergirl model Janelle Monae; Mr. Trap Lord himself, A$AP Ferg; hip-hop legend Biz Markie on a DJ set and Action Bronson, aka Rick Ross if Ross had a red beard and a sense of humor.

As for the world-famous Roots, they’ve just dropped the new album “And Then You Shoot Your Cousin.” Moody has two new songs as well, “Godzilla,” with Drake collaborator Mike Zombie, and “Concrete Jungle,” featuring a hook from Grammy-nominated singer and “The Wire” star Mack Wilds.

The two block-rocking tracks should perk up your summer.

“It’s high energy, something that people can wake up in the morning and play or go to the gym and play,” says Moody, who will also unveil his new line of Cerebellum H2O bottled water at the Picnic. “Something to get your day started and your juices flowing.”

Picnic performers

The Roots
Snoop Dogg (back by The Roots)
Janelle Monáe
Action Bronson
A$AP Ferg
araabMUZIK
The War On Drugs
Rudimental
Jhené Aiko
Biz Markie (DJ set)
Bad Rabbits
Just Blaze
Electric Wire Hustle
Chill Moody
Emily Wells
Roman GianArthur