4 months ago
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Dancehall icon Vybz Kartel is set to make his long-awaited return to the international stage, joining Drake for a groundbreaking performance at the 2025 Wireless Festival. The event, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary at London’s Finsbury Park from July 11-13, will feature the Toronto rapper headlining all three nights with unique setlists.
The festival’s final night, Sunday, July 13, will see Drake share the stage with Nigerian superstar Burna Boy and Kartel, who is currently in London with his fiancée, Sidem Öztürk.
"London we here! #GodistheGreatess," the artiste posted to his official Instagram account, with a video of him exiting the London Heathrow Airport.
The Wireless Festival announcement follows Kartel’s highly publicised release from prison last year after spending 13 years behind bars. Acquitted by the Court of Appeal in July, the dancehall legend wasted no time reclaiming his place in the industry, hosting the celebratory Freedom Street concert in December.
He was nominated for his first Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for Party With Me, a project that he recorded while incarcerated. The award ultimately went to Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe). Kartel and Öztürk attended the awards ceremony on February 2 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
With his first major international festival appearance in over a decade, Kartel’s presence at Wireless 2025 is set to be a defining moment for dancehall music. Fans eagerly anticipate his performance alongside Drake, who has long expressed admiration for Kartel’s influence on his own musical style. The pair’s collaboration on the Wireless stage is expected to be a celebration of dancehall, hip-hop, and global music culture.
Drake’s headlining Wireless Festival set will span three nights, each with a unique line-up. On Friday, July 11, he will perform alongside PartyNextDoor and special guest Summer Walker, while Saturday, July 12 will feature him with 'The Mandem'.
The Toronto rapper recently released a collaborative album with PartyNextDoor, $ ome $ exy $ ongs 4 U, which dropped on Valentine’s Day, February 14. It marks his first full-length project since 2023’s For All the Dogs and follows his highly publicised rap feud with Kendrick Lamar. Lamar took aim at Drake during the Super Bowl Half-time Show on February 9, performing his diss track Not Like Us in front of more than 100 million viewers.
English (US) ·