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
Nelly & Ashanti Release Season 2 Trailer For Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together

Nelly & Ashanti Release Season 2 Trailer For Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together

Nelly and Ashanti are giving fans another intimate look at their relationship, family life, and careers in the second season of Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together. Peacock released a new trailer for the reality series, featuring Ashanti in the studio rerecording her 2002 self-titled debut album. The R&B singer is reclaiming her music through new versions she can own and control. “It’s so important to show women’s empowerment, and understanding the power of ownership is major,” Ashanti says in


O A

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Moved From FCI Fort Dix To Pennsylvania Federal Prison

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Moved From FCI Fort Dix To Pennsylvania Federal Prison

Hip-Hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been transferred from FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey to a federal prison in Pennsylvania, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The 56-year-old hip-hop mogul is being moved to FCI Allenwood Low, a low-security facility near Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A person familiar with the transfer confirmed the relocation to The Associated PressFriday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TMZ (@tmztv) The Bureau of Prisons confirmed the transfer but


O A

Tyla Announces “That Girl” Music Scholarship to Empower the Next Generation of Female Artists

Tyla Announces “That Girl” Music Scholarship to Empower the Next Generation of Female Artists

Tyla has announced a new initiative to support the next generation of female creatives through the launch of the “That Girl” Music Scholarship.  The program will provide a total of $50,000 in funding to 10 women pursuing degrees in music and arts-related fields at accredited institutions.  Named after a popular track from her recent album “A*Pop,” the scholarship is a collaborative effort between the artist, Sony Music and the Institute of International Education (IIE). The initiative aims to


O A

Michael Jackson’s 1993 Super Bowl Halftime Documentary Set At Hulu

Michael Jackson’s 1993 Super Bowl Halftime Documentary Set At Hulu

Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking 1993 Super Bowl halftime performance will receive a documentary examining how the King of Pop transformed football’s biggest musical spectacle. Titled Spectacle: Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl, the film is scheduled to premiere on ESPN and Hulu in February 2027. The documentary revisits Jackson’s January 31, 1993, performance at Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, California, nearly 35 years after the historic event. Jackson performed at the Rose Bowl during the


O A