“Three nights in a row, three nights headlining, three different sets, three different vibes. You name another artist who could do that, bring them up here, and we could clash right now. Anybody,” Drake challenges the audience midway through night two of his historic three-night run at Wireless Festival. It’s big talk from the Toronto rapper after possibly the most bruising stretch of his career. Since his public defeat to Kendrick Lamar in rap’s most high-profile beef in years – and a messy legal battle with his own label – Drake’s grip on the culture has felt shakier than ever. The loss cut even deeper when Lamar took home five Grammys for “Not Like Us” – the fatal blow in their diss exchange – and performed it in front of 134 million eyes during the Super Bowl halftime show.
There are only so many Ls one man can take, and Drake has desperately needed a one-up for a while now. So what better way to redeem himself than a sold-out three-night residency at the 20th anniversary of London’s Wireless, in a city where he’s consistently been loved, even when his image falters elsewhere?
Each day was curated with its own genre brief, a nod to his wildly diverse catalogue and sprawling career. After Friday’s sultry R&B lineup tailored to fans of Take Care-era vulnerability, night two (controversially billed as “Drake & the Mandem”) sharply shifted gears into hip-hop, with the best of UK rap front-loading the day. Fast-rising stars like Len, Chy Cartier, Fimiguerro and YT took to the Old Spice stage to give mosh-starting performances to crowds of sweaty teenagers (the majority shirtless, thanks to the scorching 30-degree weather). Nemzzz brought the energy early on the main stage, running through tracks like “Spinnin” – which samples Drake’s “Fancy” – and the Lil-Yachty-assisted “It’s Us”. Later on, Lancey Foux, the pied piper of London’s underground, lured the crowd into his high-octane world with a bolshy trap set filled with crowd pleasers like “Outtamymind!” and “Lancey or Lancey,” as well as deeper cuts like “Cursed” and the unreleased “Daytona.” And after a day dominated by the new-gen, BBK’s set brought the nostalgia out in full force – a 20-year anniversary moment for the grime collective, catering to the older heads with a run of hood classics like “That’s Not Me” and “Are You?”.
“I made so many phone calls, you have no idea,” Drake bragged when he finally got on stage later that night. His feud with Kendrick was famously dubbed a ‘20 v 1’, so after going to war with the entire music industry, who’s left in his corner? Turns out all of UK hip-hop, and some. Saturday’s 90-minute set felt more like a flex of his Rolodex (or what’s left of it) than a celebration of his music. The guest appearances were endless: Dave, Headie One, Skepta, K-Trap, J Hus, Central Cee, Fakemink – honestly, any UK rapper who didn’t get that call may have to rethink their position within the scene.
But he also let us know he could pull weight stateside too, with cameos from Yeat, Sexxy Redd, Latto, 21 Savage, Partynextdoor and a left-field performance of “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. The parade of special guests was a nice surprise at first, but it soon began to feel like overkill and left little room for his own work. “Y’all thought you could get rid of The Boy?” he sneered, prompting a section of the crowd to start a “Fuck Kendrick” chant. “You know what, Chubbs…Grab me a shot. I’ll drink to that," he responded.
But come Sunday, all talks of Drake, Kendrick, and any beef were put on pause as everyone turned up in full effect for the main event – Vybz Kartel. Fresh out after a 13-year stint in jail, Kartel made his long-awaited return to a London stage – his first in two decades – and the city showed up to give the Worl’ Boss a befitting welcome. Dancehall icons Spice and Popcaan served as worthy primers for Kartel’s comeback performance (the latter finally redeeming himself after the disasterclass at City Splash festival).
The rest of the day felt jarringly disjointed. Drake was listed twice on the schedule – once at 18:25 and again at 20:55 – likely due to the looming 9:30 pm curfew, though no one seemed to know for sure. Kartel’s set ran over, Drake’s first slot quietly vanished, and by the time he finally took the stage, he was left with just 45 minutes to close the weekend. He had one last phone call to make, though: midway through the set, Rema appeared and tore through five songs, curfew be damned. Next, Drake was up in the air, floating across Finsbury Park à la Beyoncé, as Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” blared in the background. Points for effort and altitude, I guess.
