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
Bad Bunny Becomes First Ever Latin Artist To Grosses A Billion In Touring

Bad Bunny Becomes First Ever Latin Artist To Grosses A Billion In Touring

Award-winning recording artist Bad Bunny has crossed a historic milestone in the global music business, surpassing $1 billion in career ticket sales and becoming the first Latin artist and first non-English-language performer to reach the mark. The achievement comes amid the remarkable success of his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, which has generated record-breaking revenue despite not including a single concert in the United States. Bad Bunny becomes the first-ever Latin artist to gross $1


O A

JAŸ-Z Sets NYC Pop-Up Events for 30th Anniversary of ‘Reasonable Doubt’

JAŸ-Z Sets NYC Pop-Up Events for 30th Anniversary of ‘Reasonable Doubt’

Interest around Jay-Z has taken on a steady, almost layered momentum this year. This energy is driven by a mix of live performance moments and the quiet weight of anniversary dates. For example, a freestyle at the Roots Picnic helped reignite conversation around his stage presence. Meanwhile, the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint brought renewed attention to two records that still sit at the center of his catalog. Taken together, those milestones have


O A

Michelle Obama Throws Subliminal Jab At Donald Trump At Presidential Center Opening

Michelle Obama Throws Subliminal Jab At Donald Trump At Presidential Center Opening

Former first lady Michelle Obama used the opening of the Obama Presidential Center on Thursday to celebrate her husband’s legacy while delivering a broader message about leadership, public service and civic responsibility. Standing before a crowd that included former presidents, elected officials, entertainers and community leaders, Obama reflected on the achievements of former President Barack Obama and the values she said defined his eight years in the White House. The ceremony marked a majo


O A

Knicks Celebrate NBA Title with Massive New York Parade

Knicks Celebrate NBA Title with Massive New York Parade

Thousands of New York Knicks fans flooded Manhattan on Thursday for a heavily guarded victory parade, turning the city into a sea of blue and orange to mark their basketball team's NBA Finals victory. Chants of "Let's go Knocks" rippled through the dense crowd, made up of some who paid hundreds of dollars for line sitters to wait overnight and save them a space to watch the procession. "The Knicks unite the city unlike any other team. We were starved for so long," said Anthony Martorelli, a 29


O A