Drake to Headline Wireless Festival for All Three Nights
#image_title

Drake to Headline Wireless Festival for All Three Nights


Share this post

Rapper Drake has been announced as the headliner for all three nights of this year's Wireless festival.

It will be his first UK performance in six years, with the One Dance hitmaker due to play a bespoke set on each night.

Wireless is celebrating 20 years and returns to Finsbury Park, London, between 11 and 13 July.

Other artists confirmed to be playing across the weekend are Burna Boy, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Summer Walker and Vybz Kartel.

Drake has most recently been embroiled in a rap beef with Super Bowl headliner Kendrick Lamar.

The spotlight will again be on the pair, as Kendrick has his own UK tour dates lined up for July, including playing in Birmingham the night before Drake's first performance.

Despite the origins of the feud going back a decade, the past year has seen it ignite again with Kendrick's Not Like Us takedown of Drake winning a Grammy - but also the subject of an ongoing legal case by the Canadian.

Drake first headlined Wireless in 2012, with the festival saying he holds the title "for the audience's most requested artist".

He recently released Some Sexy Songs 4 U, a joint album with fellow Canadian artist PARTYNEXTDOOR who will be performing on the Friday.

The same day will see R&B star Summer Walker on stage, who made waves with her previous performance at Finsbury Park in 2022.

Sunday will see Afrobeats icon Burna Boy making his Wireless debut, with dancehall star Vybz Kartel also performing on that day.

The Jamaican artist was freed from prison last year after having a murder conviction overturned.

Where are the UK acts?

The prospect of three nights of Drake has led to a mixed reaction from fans.

While some are excited to see "history" being made think his back catalogue is deep enough to make each night sound different, others have criticised the lack of UK artists.

"I don't think there needs to be three days," music fan Rehea Shillingford tells BBC Newsbeat, adding she's "not against Drake".

"There's other British artists that could have been headlining," she says, naming the likes of Dave and J Hus who have previously topped the bill.

But she is excited that Vybz Kartel will be performing, and feels he could "have been headlining".

Megaman, from garage and hip-hop collective So Solid Crew, says while Drake is "the biggest artist in the world", it's wrong to announce Wireless "without a UK artist".

"It's a UK brand, so I would always love to see a top UK artist as part of the first run of promo," he told 1Xtra Breakfast's Nadia Jae.

"We have so many big artists in the culture, there's no harm putting any on there."

"We love [Drake] for what he does. But we hope he's on-side and says: 'I have to put a UK act on the lineup'."

The festival has promised more acts for the weekend will be announced later.

Last year saw the likes Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, J Hus and Doja Cat perform.

About 50,000 rap, R&B and hip-hop fans head to the event each day.

In 2023, Wireless signed a five-year deal with Haringey Council for the festival to be held in Finsbury Park every summer until at least 2027.


Share this post
Comments

Be the first to know

Join our community and get notified about upcoming stories

Subscribing...
You've been subscribed!
Something went wrong
Kevin Durant Wants To Compete For His 5th Olympics Gold Medal

Kevin Durant Wants To Compete For His 5th Olympics Gold Medal

Kevin Durant wants a shot at his fifth gold medal at the 2026 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In a recent interview, the basketball superstar shared how he’s looking forward to competing in the upcoming Olympiad. “It’s just fun, man,” Durant told The Athletic. “It’s an incredible time. You get to travel the world. I don’t know if we’re gonna get to travel the world with it being in the States, but the last few years, we would go to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Paris, London, Canary Islands, Madrid … being


O A

Elena Rybakina triumphs at US Open to capture first US Open title

Elena Rybakina triumphs at US Open to capture first US Open title

Elena Rybakina denied Aryna Sabalenka a third straight US Open title on Saturday, punctuating her rise to number one in the world with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over the player she's replacing at the summit. Rybakina, already assured of supplanting Sabalenka atop the rankings by reaching the semi-finals in New York, triumphed 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to claim her third Grand Slam title. She won her first at Wimbledon in 2022 and beat Sabalenka in the Australian Open title to claim her second in January. "


O A

Lil Durk Acquitted On All Charges In Murder-For-Hire Trial

Lil Durk Acquitted On All Charges In Murder-For-Hire Trial

A federal jury acquitted hip-hop star Durk Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, on all five charges tied to a Los Angeles murder-for-hire case. The jury returned its verdict after three days of deliberations. Banks, however, has not been released from federal custody following the acquittal. Prosecutors accused Banks of orchestrating a 2022 shooting targeting rapper Quando Rondo. The attack instead killed Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, near the Beverly Center. The government alleged t


O A

Ben Shelton defeats Frances Tiafoe making history as he advances to first US Open final

Ben Shelton defeats Frances Tiafoe making history as he advances to first US Open final

Ben Shelton shook off an erratic start to power past Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in an all-American US Open semi-final on Friday and book a championship showdown with top seed Alexander Zverev. Eighth-seeded Shelton, who knocked off defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, will play his first Grand Slam final on Sunday, when he'll be aiming to end American men's 23-year drought in the majors and deny French Open champion Zvereva second Grand Slam title of 2026. He makes h


O A