Drake made an appearance at Central Cee’s show in Toronto on the weekend, announcing that OVO Fest will be returning this year.
During Cench’s show at HISTORY in Toronto on Saturday (May 24), Drake appeared from the balcony to perform while the British rapper rolls forward on his Can’t Rush Greatness Tour. Drake performed ‘NOKIA’, a dancey, catchy number from his collaborative album with PartyNextDoor, ‘$ome $exy $ongs 4 U’. The song recently hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
After the Canadian icon finished his track, he took a chance to address the Toronto crowd, promising them that his OVO festival will be coming back later in 2025.
“I’ll see you this summer, by the way. OVO Fest will be back this year.”
He then went on to give praise to Cench, gesturing to him and saying: “We’ll need you there for that. That guy right there, that’s my fucking brother. I’ve seen this guy from day one, a humble spirit, a hard worker. This man observed all he needed to observe. This guy put the work in, made the songs. He’s one of the best people I know. The realest.”
OVO Fest was founded by Drake in 2010 and was held every year in Toronto until 2019. The festival was forced to take a couple of years off during COVID-19, but returned in 2022, featuring Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Nelly Furtado as headliners.
Other performers at the festival have included J. Cole, Big Sean, 50 Cent, Lauryn Hill, and The Weeknd, to name a few. No confirmed details have been shared for an upcoming event, but it’s typically held in Toronto during October, which is Drake’s birthday month.
Cench and Drake have stayed as friends for a while, as well as collaborators. In 2023, Cench starred in the Canadian rappers video for ‘Jumbotron Shit Poppin’, and later in the year the two of them featured in an ‘On The Radar Freestyle’ for the popular YouTube platform. Afterwards, Cench joined Drake as an opening act for his 2023 It’s All A Blur Tour.
Drake will also be headlining all three nights of Wireless Festival 2025, curating different styles for each evening from 11-13 July later this summer in Finsbury Park, London. You can read our coverage on that here.
