Jazmine Sullivan and LL Cool J will play the Wawa Welcome America concert in Philly on July 4
Published in Entertainment News
PHILADELPHIA — On Tuesday, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced the headliners for this year’s Wawa Welcome America July 4 concert on the Ben Franklin Parkway.
Philly’s Jazmine Sullivan, whom the mayor called a “hometown hero,” and LL Cool J will conclude the 16-day-long Wawa Welcome America celebrations with a free concert as the fireworks go off above the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Sullivan, a Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts alum, is a two-time Grammy Award winner, with hits like “Bust Your Windows” and “Girl Like Me.” Her "Heaux Tales" won best R&B album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, and in 2022, she was one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.
Sullivan’s July 4 performance will mark her comeback to the Parkway, where, last November, she performed for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ campaign rally.
LL Cool J, a hip-hop legend known for classics like “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “Around the Way Girl,” released his latest project, "The FORCE," in 2024. In 2017, the two-time Grammy winner became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors, a feat the mayor called “historic.”
The mayor said she’d be sure to pack her flat shoes for all the dancing the concert guarantees.
Last year, the show was headlined by Kesha, of “TiK ToK” and “Your Love is My Drug” fame, and R&B singer Ne-Yo, behind the hits “So Sick,” “Because of You,” and “Sexy Love.”
The July 4 concert has been the sole outsized musical gathering on the Parkway since Jay-Z’s Made in America festival, a Labor Day weekend tradition since 2012, was canceled in 2023 and 2024.
Welcome America patrons can expect days of programming leading up to the holiday. There will be other concerts, free museum days, and gatherings throughout the week.
And, of course, Wawa Hoagie Day on June 26.
The Welcome America concert will be broadcast live on NBC10. Viewers can also stream the event on Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV, Amazon Fire TV, Pluto, and the NBC10 website and app.
The Welcome America schedule can be found online.
©2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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