PHILADELPHIA — Every June, shortly after one Roots Picnic passes, planning for the next one begins.

And each year, as the Roots power trio of drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, rapper Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, and manager Shawn Gee put together a wish list, Lenny Kravitz’s name is on it.

“It was only a matter of time,” Questlove told The Inquirer. “We almost had him two years ago, but it’s always been: ‘I promise you next year.’ So he’s making good on that promise.”

Kravitz will deliver on that vow this weekend, when he joins Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill as co-headliner on June 1, the second day of the 2025 Roots Picnic.

The night before, the place atop the bill was to be taken by neo-soul and funk singer D’Angelo, performing with the Roots. On Friday, D’Angelo announced he had to cancel due to a medical issue, and has been replaced by Maxwell. Together with a deep well of talent that includes GloRilla, Miguel, Tems, Latto, Musiq Soulchild, and Kaytranada, it adds up to what Questlove, called “my dream lineup.”

Kravitz is pleased to be part of it.

“I made it a point to be sure I was available this year,” Kravitz said speaking via Zoom from New York. “The Roots are friends and colleagues and family. It’s something that I wanted to do, and play for that audience.”

Kravitz has been a rock star since his 1989 debut "Let Love Rule." Last year’s "Blue Electric Light" was his 12th album. His new single, “Let It Ride,” has a sultry night-at-the-club vibe that hearkens to a mid-1980s electro funk sound popular in the years just before Kravitz first emerged a retro-rock sensation.

It might remind you of Prince, “but I think it sounds like Lenny,” says Kravitz. “The whole album is funky, it’s sensual, and it also has those electronic elements. It sounds like what I would have put out before 'Let Love Rule,' if I had gotten a record deal when I was in high school. And Prince was obviously one of my influences then.”

Kravitz is a citizen of the world. He splits time between Brazil, the Bahamas and Paris — where his mansion in the 16th arrondissement was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest this year — but is basing himself in New York this summer while playing U.S. festivals, including a Sea. Hear. Now date on the Asbury Park beach on Sept. 14.

Early in May, he played the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where the Roots also gigged, reprising their collaboration with NOLA rapper Lil Wayne, which they debuted at the Roots Picnic in 2024.

“New Orleans will always be home for me, it’s where I bought my first house, in the French Quarter, when I was 29,” said Kravitz, who grew up in New York, the son of news producer Sy Kravitz and actress Roxie Roker, who started in the sitcom "The Jeffersons."

"Blue Electric Light," he said, has been in the works since the early days of the pandemic. But progress was delayed when he worked on music for "Rustin," George C. Wolfe’s biopic about West Chester-born queer civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, played by Philadelphia actor Colman Domingo.

Kravitz knew Rustin’s name, but not the extent of his impact. “I grew up in a family that was very involved in civil rights, and the fact that I didn’t know the full story just let me know that so many people wouldn’t know the story at all.”

Also, he loves Domingo. “I did a project called 'The Butler' with Colman, and Lee Daniels, the director, another Philadelphian. Colman is a wonderful human being and a great artist,” he said.

Kravitz wrote the theme song for "Rustin," “Road To Freedom.”

“I pushed my project aside to work on it. And it got nominated for a Golden Globe, so I did the awards circuit that year,” he said.

Now back on tour, Kravitz, who turned 61 this month, will surely look amazing on the Picnic stage, while probably barely wearing a shirt. A big part of his brand is his Dorian Gray youthfulness. How does he do it?

“It’s not about how many Earth years you have. You can have two vintage cars made in the 1960s and one is a beat-up piece of junk, and the other is pristine, like it just came off the factory floor. It’s how you take care of that thing. It’s not the age of it,” he said.

Kravitz is a vegan but mostly, it comes down to discipline.

“It’s about doing the work, and doing the work when you don’t want to do the work. I train. I’ve been training for years. Keeping my body in shape, which keeps my mind in shape, which keeps my spirit in shape.”

When Kravitz was living in Los Angeles as a teenager, “I had a grandfather from the Bahamas who was in his 90s. And he was a young man, because he had that same discipline. He would ride his bike for l5 hours a day, up hills. He learned to roller-skate when he was 80. I was like: ‘What is this guy doing?’ I didn’t realize I would learn from him.”

While Kravitz works on his next two albums, he pursues varied interests. “I do photography, do interior design. I make furniture. I’m going to start painting and doing ceramics. Just to have different mediums to create and tweak and express myself in.”

His residency at Park MGM in Las Vegas starts Aug. 1. “It’s my second time. It’s fun. I didn’t think it was something I would ever do. And what’s wonderful is you get to stay in the same place for two weeks. You don’t have to get on a plane or tour bus and leave right after the show, which is what I normally do.”

When asked what Roots Picnic attendees should expect this weekend, he replied: “Rock and roll, and love.”

“We’re gonna rock it, and we’re gonna amplify love,” the “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” singer says. “As we do every night.”

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The Roots Picnic is at the Mann Center, 5201 Parkside on May 31 and June 1. RootsPicnic.com.

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