Wireless Festival took place over the weekend, with Drake performing at and curating every day of the festival. Each day featured a variety of performers and surprise guests including Central Cee, Vybz Kartel and Lauryn Hill.
The separate days of the festival had different themes – for the Friday (July 11), fans were treated to a day of R&B/soul music. Speaking to the crowd, Drake said, “You came to a very special night. It’s night one. It’s a celebration of all things R&B. All things melodies. All classics.” The audience enjoyed sets throughout the day from rising UK stars like Nippa and KWN, as well as American artists such as Summer Walker and Leon Thomas. During Drake’s set, he pulled through with a host of guests including Giveon, Bryson Tiller, Bobby Valentino and Mario.
@wirelessfestival We said we were making history this weekend @Rockstar Energy UK #drake #laurynhill #mslaurynhill #wirelessfestival #20yearswireless #wireless2025 #wireless ♬ original sound – Wireless Festival
One of the biggest surprises of the day came as Lauryn Hill took to the stage. A famously reclusive artist whose live appearances have been notoriously disorganized, she came out to perform “Ready Or Not” and “Ex Factor”, the latter of which transitioned into Drake’s hit “Nice For What” which samples the soulful classic.
The tempo and tone was changed for the Saturday show (July 12), as the mellow vibes of the previous night were switched for a high-energy day of hip-hop. ““London, tonight is different,” Drake said onstage, hyping up the audience. “All that sweetheart, singing sh*t? That sh*t is over tonight. This is for my motherf*cking dogs.” A lineup of homegrown UK talent was featured throughout, with experimental trap rapper Lancey Foux and grime collective Boy Better Know providing sets.
@wirelessfestival You asked for Dave & Cench, we delivered DRAKE SPECIAL GUESTS NIGHT 2 @Rockstar Energy UK @CentralCee #drake #dave #centralcee #cench #wireless #wireless2025 #20yearswireless #wirelessfestival ♬ original sound – Wireless Festival
When it was Drake’s time to take to the stage, he gave another star-studded set featuring guests like Dave, Central Cee, J Hus, Yeat, Skepta, Latto, Sexyy Redd, K-Trap, Headie One and 21 Savage.
The Sunday (July 13) saw the styles travel from London to around the world for a “global” themed day, featuring afrobeat and dancehall artists legends like Vybz Kartel, Burna Boy, Spice and Popcaan. Unfortunately, Drake only managed to perform for 40 minutes, due to a strict 9:30pm curfew, as he opted to give the other acts more stage time.
@wirelessfestival VYBZ X DRAKE @Rockstar Energy UK #wireless #20yearswireless #wireless2025 #wirelessfestival #drake #vybzkartel ♬ original sound – Wireless Festival
During the Saturday night, Drake seemingly weighed in on the debate brewing as to who would reign victoriously in a clash between UK and US rappers. He said to a supportive crowd, “London rappers are the best lyricists in the world. No disrespect to America, but nobody in the world can out-rap London rappers. This is the highest level – this is what I aspire to be.”
To read more into the growing UK vs US battle debate drawn up by Skepta, click here.
