Carti’s set mainly saw him debut his new material, performing almost the entire 30-song tracklist, as well as some old hits from his older catalogue.

The Weeknd also made a surprise appearance, performing both “Rather Lie” from ‘Music’ and his Carti collab, ‘Timeless’, from The Weeknd’s new album ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’.

THE MOSHPIT!! #IAMMUSIC https://t.co/xZS6M0hZAI

— Big Smoke – (@Skepta) March 17, 2025

In the new song ‘Toxic’, Skepta raps “I broke America, big in the East, I’m big in the West, I’m big in the South’. These lyrics hold true to Skepta’s transatlantic success – he’s one of a few UK rappers who have managed to make a name for themselves stateside as an overseas success.

His fourth studio album ‘Konnichiwa’ secured a spot on the Billboard 200, which is a grand feat for a UK grime artist. Skepta and Carti have joined up before on ‘Lean 4 Real’, from Carti’s breakout album ‘Die Lit’. Through collaborations with rappers like Carti, Kid Cudi, ASAP Rocky and Future, he’s kept an open line to the US market and positioned himself as a representative of British rap. His most successful American collab would be ‘Praise the Lord (Da Shine)’ with ASAP Rocky, which landed him on the Billboard Hot 100.

Carti’s new album, ‘Music’, has received generally positive reviews and taken the streaming world by storm, becoming Spotify’s most streamed album in a single day during 2025. It’s been a long wait for his fans, as the album has been frequently teased, and retitled since he dropped his last album, ‘Whole Lotta Red’. Many fans despaired that the record was stuck in “development hell”.

The new album features a star-studded lineup of collaborators including Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Future, Skepta, The Weeknd, Lil Uzi Vert and Ty Dolla Sign. It also features well known producers such as Cardo, Metro Boomin, Southside, F1lthy, Ye, Cash Cobain and the production duo Ojivolta, among others. Sales numbers for it haven’t yet been certified but it’s expected to pull in 250,000 album-equivalent units, not including physical sales.

You can watch Carti’s full Rolling Loud California performance below.

If successful with their filing, Festival Republic would host a new three-day event in Luton’s Stockwood Park. The proposed dates for the new event would fall on the spring bank holiday, Saturday, May 25th to Monday, May 27th. As well as performances, Benn’s application has been reported to propose “a funfair and sponsor activations”. Mirroring the format of the company’s other festivals, the proposed event will likely include the all the bells and whistles associated with their mainline stage shows.

Although Luton Council has already discussed this application, their decision has not yet been made public. For many, festivals can be seen as great economic boost to an area, especially if the event does not provide camping facilities. Large numbers of festivalgoers need accommodation and food which can be provided by local businesses after the day’s shows have come to a close. However, this benefit can often come at the cost of residents, as noise levels will be elevated by both the event itself and by its sometimes-rowdy participants. It doesn’t seem likely that the proposed festival will be a camping affair as the documentation filed does not imply nor mention overnight accommodation.

Other factors to be considered in the council’s decision are the effects that a large-scale event, like this one, would have on Luton’s public transport infrastructure. This is especially relevant, as Stockwood Park is only 1.5 miles from the town’s centre. Either way, the final decision from Luton Council will likely be announced within the week.

This year is looking promising for Festival Republic, as Finsbury Park’s Wireless is set to announce its 2024 line up next week, and Reading/Leeds has already teased the first ten acts for this year’s extravaganza. Among those performing at Reading’s and Leeds’ 2024 incarnation, are DJ and producer Fred Again.., Lana Del Rey, and Liam Gallagher.

Update: As of January 22nd, Luton Council said that Melvin Benn’s “application was granted with minor amendments“. Due to residents’ concerns of increased noise, congestion, and anti-social behaviour, Luton Council has arranged for noise to be monitored during the event as well as a noise hotline that would allow locals to complain about disruption in residential areas.

Check out the tour poster for the Antagonist Tour on Ken Carson’s Twitter below:

pic.twitter.com/RRddMYzYmm

— (@kencarson) July 12, 2023

Playboi Carti founded Opium, a record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2019 where he signed Ken Carson to his label. Both Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang were then signed to Opium in 2021. The Antagonist Tour will be the first the four acts go on tour together as an Opium collective. Currently, the label has officially released six studio albums including Ken Carson’s Project X (2019) and Destroy Lonely’s If Looks Could Kill (2023) which debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200.

Listen to Destroy Lonely’s 2023 album If Looks Could Kill on Spotify below:

Carti’s most recent album Whole Lotta Red was released on December 25, 2020 debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200. It was also ranked number one on Rolling Stone’s 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2021 being described as “one of the most forward-thinking rap records since Kanye West’s Yeezus.” The album consists of 24 songs and features artists Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Future. Whole Lotta Red includes songs such as “Rockstar Made”, “Vamp Anthem”, “Sky”, and “ILoveUIHateU”.

Listen to Playboi Carti’s album Whole Lotta Red on Spotify below:

However, since the drop of Whole Lotta Red, Carti has been collaborating with other musicians. Recently, he featured on Canadian singer The Weeknd’s single “Popular” along with Madonna. The song was released on June 2, 2023 and peaked at number 11 in the UK. In addition to this, it charted within the top 20 in Canada, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Switzerland, Croatia, and India. A music visualiser accompanied the release of the single and was uploaded on YouTube.

Check out the music visualiser for “Popular” by The Weeknd, Madonna, and Playboi Carti on Youtube below:

The American rapper recently headlined this year’s Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park on Friday 7th July. Friday’s Wireless was dubbed as Opium Friday with Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang also performing that day. He surprised the UK audience with an unreleased track at the festival.

Watch Carti perform his unreleased track at Wireless Festival below:

Playboi Carti UK and Europe Antagonist tour dates:

19/11/2023 – 3Arena – Dublin
21/11 – AO Arena – Manchester
22/11 – The O2 – London
24/11 – Forest National – Manchester
25/11 – Ziggo Dome – Birmingham
27/11 – Mediolanum Forum – Milan
29/11 – Lanxess Arena – Cologne
30/11 – Mercedes-Benz Arena – Berlin
02/12 – Accorhotels Arena – Paris
04/12 – Royal Arena – Copenhagen

Tickets for the Antagonist tour are available to purchase here

This year’s Wireless Festival will run on the Friday 7th July until Sunday 9th July with Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and D-Block Europe as the headlining performers. 50 Cent is also set to perform as a special guest. It will take place at Finsbury Park in London bringing the rap and urban community back together.

On Wireless Festival’s official Instagram, it was announced that tickets had “OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT” as seen below:

Although not all names on the lineup has been revealed, musicians including Lil Uzi Vert, Metro Boomin, FLO, Mariah The Scientist, Lil Durk, and Lil Tjay will be performing across the weekend.

BBC 1XTRA is this year’s official broadcast partner for Wireless Festival 2023. They will be broadcasting live from Finsbury Park allowing fans to follow along on BBC Sounds, and BBC iPlayer.

The following BBC Radio 1XTRA hosts are confirmed to appear across the weekend: Kenny Allstar, Seani B, DJ Target, Tiffany Calver, Nadia Jae, and Remi Burgz.

See the announcement video for the lineup names below:

2023 Names are here

@nellarose @yungfilly1 @Darkestman_1 @HenrieVIII @itsNadiaJae @KennyAllstar pic.twitter.com/rJSTCgkQIp

— Wireless Festival (@WirelessFest) January 25, 2023

Last year, Wireless took place over at Crystal Palace, Birmingham, as well as Finsbury Park. However, it will only be held at Finsbury Park this year for the entire three-day event. Headlining artists for Wireless Festival 2022 included the likes of Cardi B, SZA, Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Dave, and Tyler, The Creator.

The music festival has been running since 2005 with headlining artists including Jay-Z, P!nk, The Black Eyed Peas, Pulp, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Stormzy.

Those who do not want to miss out are encouraged to quickly purchase tickets to avoid disappointment while limited VIP packages are still available.

Remember to be aware of ticket scams and only purchase tickets via the official Gopuff delivers Wireless and their official ticket partners.

Here is the list of artists announced to perform so far:

Friday 7th July

• Playboi Carti
• Yeat
• Lil Uzi Vert
• Metro Boomin
• Lancey Foux
• Ice Spice
• Kenny All Star
• Ken Carson
• Latto
• Destroy Lonely
• Homixide Gang
• Lola Brooke

and more…

Saturday 8th July

• Travis Scott
• Lil Yachty
• Headie One
• Bryson Tiller
• FLO
• Joey Bada$$
• Lucki
• Mariah The Scientist
• Clavish
• NLE Choppa

and more…

Sunday 9th July

• D-Block Europe
• 50 Cent
• Lil Durk
• Popcaan
• Lil Tjay
• Dexta Daps
• DJ Target
• K-Trap
• GloRilla
• Black Sherif
• Dréya Mac

and more…

Buy tickets here