Day two of Cali Roots seemed to shine brighter than the last, at least metaphorically. The fog rolled in early in the afternoon, feeling less gloomy than one would expect, rather more metaphorical for the day to come.

The twelfth annual California Roots Festival came and went this year leaving a mark on all who attended from near and far. The annual family reunion for the Reggae community featured many of the classic names we have come so accustomed to seeing on the marque while welcoming in a few new faces, including some of the most inspirational names in early Hip Hop from Hieroglyphics to The Wu-Tang Clan. While the lineup fostered inspiration for a fun-filled weekend, it was clear that the festival had evolved.

In covering Monterey’s Cali Roots for so many years, Grateful Web has had the opportunity to meet many artists whose names have shined brightly on the lineup, but in this time, the SoCal powerhouse Dirty Heads have found a way to weave themselves into the very fabric of the modern reggae movement itself.

Good Vibez Presents, the team behind the now-legendary California Roots Music and Arts Festival, have announced the final artist additions for the festival’s 2023 lineup. Grammy-nominated Cali Roots-veterans Rebelution are set to headline on Thursday, Billboard Reggae Chart-topping outfit Stick Figure tops Saturday’s bill, and longtime fan favorites Thievery Corporation and Chali 2na & Cut Chemist join the lineup on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Today, in a new plot twist, California Roots, the premier Reggae, Roots and Hip-hop music festival in Northern California, announced their massive 2023 line up. Releasing nearly the entire line up in one heavy-hitting drop, the 12th Annual Cali Roots will once again return for four incredible days, May 25-28, 2023 to Monterey, CA.  The star-studded lineup features debut performances from legendary hip-hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan, rollicking ska-punk band The Interrupters and Mr.

As the sun rose over Monterey, the final day of the festival we had all waited the last three years for felt bittersweet. The anticipation was more than lived up to as the artists we have all come to know and love played with the crowd of 10,000 singing every lyric to every song behind them. Day four was packed with reggae legends and royalty both new and old as the last day of the longest Cali Roots to date sent Monterey home in style.

Day three of Cali Roots drew possibly the biggest crowd in the festival’s history. The masses served as a reminder to all of the community that had been missed so dearly over the last several years. In so many ways, it felt almost like a family reunion with friends in the reggae community we haven’t seen in far too long. With half the festival having passed, the best was still yet to come as Day three held some of the best surprises of the weekend.

As fans came to the Monterey Fairgrounds for the second day of the California Roots Festival, it had a day-one energy to it. Some were still recovering from the extra day the festival had been given the day prior, and some filtered in throughout the day as they got off of work for the weekend, but all were excited for what the second day had in store for them.

Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, brothers and sisters, we are finally back. After a two year-too long forced hiatus, the biggest festival in American reggae, Cali Roots, returned to the Monterey Fairgrounds for their eleventh and biggest year yet. To make up for lost time, a fourth day was added to the festivities as the long Memorial Day weekend extended to Thursday.

From humble beginnings growing up in Washington, D.C. to touring the world and spreading her inspirational message through her introspective Lyrics, Assata Perkins has built her career by looking deep into herself and turning her own vulnerability into art as Sa-Roc. Her recent album, The Sharecropper's Daughter, was no exception as it took listeners on a journey of the past influencing the present while reflecting her life experiences authentically and without obscuring her own truth.