Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts/ Hennessy Offical Website) The Legendary
Roots Crew, named one of the greatest live bands around by both Spin and Rolling Stone, once again provided the recipe for one of the most coveted and exclusive experiences of award season. The 7TH ANNUAL ROOTS JAM SESSION, hosted by
Jimmy Fallon and presented by Hennessy Artistry & newly launched non-profit OpportunityNation, returned on the eve of the 2011 GRAMMY Awards show, Saturday, February 12th. With an audience packed full of musicians and talent from every area of the entertainment industry, the ROOTS JAM SESSION once again set the bar featuring never before seen mash-ups and groundbreaking musical performances by: Jimmy Fallon, Sara Bareilles, Donnis, Trombone Shorty, Too Short, Asher Roth, Melanie Fiona, Ana Tijoux, Betty Wright, Lalah Hathaway, Young Chris, Estelle, Anthony Hamilton, Taj Mahal, Chaka Kahn, Booker T., Doug E. Fresh, Will.i.am,
Ne-Yo and DJ J.Period. Not only was the musical power felt on stage but also in the audience, with attendees like Prince, K'NAAN, MC Lite,
David Banner, Lil Mama, Tyga, Jeremih,
India Arie, Zac Brown Band,
Chamillionaire and
Mario as well as Hollywood stars Drew Barrymore,
Juliette Lewis, Orlando Jones, Kat Graham, Sway, Tristan Wilds,
Jesse Williams and Seth Rogan.
The legendary weekend continued the following night with The Roots securing three GRAMMY wins for their collaboration with John Legend on Wake Up!
Besides the one-of kind musical experience, guests of this year's RootsJam, again produced by Kevin Seldon of Keldof Marketing & Tina Farris of TFT, enjoyed signature Hennessy cocktails while creating customized screen-printed clothing, taking photos in the popchips photo booth as well as watching commissioned artists create a customized graffiti wall based on 2011 RootsJam theme: No Opportunity. Annually, the ROOTS JAM SESSION is interwoven with themes of social awareness, partnering with top organizations dedicated to creating global change. This year's cause partner is OpportunityNation, whose goal is to focus on the revitalization of the American Dream. "Too often the zip code in which a child is born determines their opportunities in life, which is not what the 'American Dream' is. OpportunityNation is a people-powered movement to bring communities and their leaders together to create the kind of change so that everyone in this country of ours has a chance to fulfill their dreams, said the organization's executive director, Mark Edwards. OpportunityNation joins an illustrious group of organizations that the ROOTS JAM SESSION has previous partnered with, including Save Darfur, Green Music Group and Rock the Vote.
In addition to the launch of a new non-profit, the 7th annual Jam also celebrated two other exciting announcements. The 2011 Jam marked the second year of a limited edition poster with opportunities for fans to receive one of the 550 hand-pulled serigraph prints available at facebook.com/RootsJamSession.
Furthermore, the Grammy Winners will serve as Curators for the 2011 Hennessy Artistry tour series, headlining tours across the U.S., bringing a truly unique experience that blends the world's best music, culture and art.
