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Drake will headline all three nights of Wireless Festival this summer for his first set of UK performances in six years.
The Canadian rapper, 38, who was the subject of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” diss track Super Bowl performance last week, will take to the main stage in London’s Finsbury Park from Friday 11 July to Sunday 13 July.
In a deal thought to be worth millions, Drake will make history as the first artist to headline a festival for three nights with three different set lists, for the festival’s 20th anniversary.
He will be joined by special guests Burna Boy, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Summer Walker and Vybz Kartel, with more acts still to be announced.
Fans were quick to react to Drake’s headline slot on X/Twitter with many linking the announcement to the rapper’s ongoing feud with Lamar.
“Anyone who was shouting ‘They not like us’ the loudest, I don’t want to see you posting up Wireless videos of Drake on your insta story later this year,” one person wrote.
“If I was Drake – none of the Djs at Wireless would be able to play ‘Not Like Us’. Causeeeeeeeee,” another social media user added. “3 days of Drake at Wireless feels like a punishment,” a third person joked.
Meanwhile, another person claimed: “’Drake & The Mandem’ is perhaps the most cringe thing I have ever seen on a Festival Lineup, and I have seen Lost Prophets on the main stage of Leeds.”
Other fans were ecstatic that the rapper is finally returning to the UK after a six year-long hiatus. “Might come outta retirement for this,” one person said. “That’s going down in history,” another added.
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The news follows days after the release of Drake’s new album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, on which he takes aim at past rap feuds. On the track “Gimme a Hug”, Drake calls out “rap beef” and people hoping for his downfall.
“They be dropping s*** but we dropping harder s***/ F*** a rap beef, I’m tryna get the party lit/ Tryna get the party lit for the b****es,” Drake raps in the second verse, seemingly in reference to his feud with Lamar.
“Using you for promotion, truer words had never been spoken,” the “God’s Plan” artist adds in another line, arguably in reference to his lawsuit against his music label Universal Music Group – to which Lamar is also signed – over its release of Lamar’s “Not Like Us” on which one line referencing Drake’s 2021 album, Lamar raps: “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophile.”
“Funny how it’s only b**** n****s that are waiting on the boy’s obituary/ ‘Cause if I die, it’s these n****s that become the sole beneficiary,” he adds.
In the lawsuit, Drake claims that UMG knew the allegations of pedophilia embedded into the song were false but “chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists”, which it denies.
In a statement, UMG told The Independent: “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist – let alone Drake – is illogical. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.”
Drake, who’s currently touring Australia on his Anita Max Win tour, last performed at Wireless Festival in 2021 when he made an appearance in Future’s set. Last year’s festival was headlined by Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, J Hus and Doja Cat.
In 2022, the festival faced allegations of overcrowding from fans, which saw the emergence of the trending “Don’t die for Wireless” caption on TikTok alongside videos of music fans breaking into the event.
The festival declined to comment when approached by The Independent at the time.