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
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA MVP for second-straight year

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA MVP for second-straight year

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row, according to several sources, after leading his side to the best record in the league for a second-straight season. The OKC Thunder were the first team to win the Maurice Podolff Trophy two years in a row after finishing with the best league-wide winning percentage in 2024-25 (68-14) and 2025-26 (64-18). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 27, posted his fourth consecutive season


O A

Thriller’ Returns to No. 1 After 42 Years, Fueled by Michael Jackson Biopic

Thriller’ Returns to No. 1 After 42 Years, Fueled by Michael Jackson Biopic

Michael Jackson’s Thriller is back at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 more than four decades after it reshaped pop music. The classic 1982 album has surged again thanks to renewed interest around the upcoming biopic Michael, which is driving both nostalgic replays and first‑time listens from a younger audience. A new report explains that streams and sales of Thriller jumped sharply as trailers, casting announcements and early stills from the film began circulating. Tracks like the title song, Beat I


B P

Ex-Houston Cop Wants Badge Back After Racist Rant

Ex-Houston Cop Wants Badge Back After Racist Rant

Former Houston police officer Ashley Gonzalez is trying to get her job back after being fired over a viral video of her going on an explicit racist rant. The clip, which spread quickly on local news and social media, showed her repeatedly using slurs to describe Black people, and pushed Houston Police Department leaders to remove her from duty and review cases she’d worked on. Gonzalez has now appealed her termination, with the Houston Police Officers’ Union confirming she has formally challeng


B P

Shawn Stüssy Revamps S/DOUBLE For A New Era

Shawn Stüssy Revamps S/DOUBLE For A New Era

Streetwear pioneer Shawn Stüssy is quietly reviving his S/DOUBLE label, treating it as a personal playground away from the pressure of his namesake brand. Season 7 of S/DOUBLE has just rolled out with a big push across Australia, leaning into relaxed tailoring, surf‑skate roots and his signature hand‑drawn script. Hypebeast reports that the campaign has taken over billboards, city projections and retail spaces in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, using Stüssy’s iconic handwriting as the anchor. T


B P