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
Rihanna reassures woman battling cancer she never has to apologise for her appearance

Rihanna reassures woman battling cancer she never has to apologise for her appearance

Rihanna has a way of turning brief encounters into moments that linger. A recent interaction with a fan living with cancer quickly became one of those moments. In a video that spread online, the singer is seen meeting a woman inside a grocery store who hesitated before asking for a photo. “I look terrible, I live with cancer,” the fan told Rihanna. “Can I take a picture with you?” Rather than accept the apology, Rihanna immediately challenged the way the woman was seeing herself. “You don’t loo


O A

Nipsey Hussle’s Children Receives $11M Inheritance From Rapper’s Estate, Per Court Docs

Nipsey Hussle’s Children Receives $11M Inheritance From Rapper’s Estate, Per Court Docs

The estate of late rapper Nipsey Hussle has distributed assets to his two children, according to newly filed probate records, marking a significant development in the administration of the artist’s estate more than six years after his death. Court filings show that Nipsey Hussle’s daughter, Emani, 17, and son, Kross, 9, each received a 50% share of the estate through a combination of cash and other property. The value of the distributions remains under seal. The estate has previously been estim


O A

Donovan Mitchell and Cavs agree on $273m max extension with LeBron watching

Donovan Mitchell and Cavs agree on $273m max extension with LeBron watching

Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a maximum four-year NBA contract extension worth $273 million with the Cleveland Cavaliers, his agent said Tuesday, a move that could help bring back LeBron James. Austin Brown told ESPN that Mitchell could have waited until next year and added another year and $80 million to his deal but wanted to commit to a long-term deal as soon as possible. Mitchell's contract includes a player option for the 2030-31 campaign, according to the report. Mitchell, who joined t


O A

Gauff into last four at Wimbledon after beating Pegula

Gauff into last four at Wimbledon after beating Pegula

Coco Gauff fought back from a ⁠set down to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time after ‌beating friend and former doubles partner Jessica ‌Pegula 4-6 6-3 6-3 in ‌an all-American Centre Court clash on Tuesday. The ‌seventh seed and two-time Grand Slam ‌winner, now the highest-ranked player left in the women's singles draw, was ‌on the back foot from ⁠the start ‌against a fourth-seeded opponent who broke her in the opening game. In truth, Gauff was fighting herself almost as much as


O A