Drake thinks he’s way cooler than he is. Back in 2009, when he first emerged – just a boy with bars and too many feelings – he was the underdog and a lovable cornball. Now? He’s a stadium filler who performs like he’s chasing validation, posturing as someone who shouldn’t have made it. After a very public, musical beatdown from Kendrick Lamar last year, it’s no wonder he’s still licking his wounds, as seen on his latest single, ‘What Did I Miss?’. At Wireless Festival 2025, that disconnect between global superstar and seemingly insecure drifter is impossible to ignore.
For its 20th anniversary, Wireless went all out: the biggest rapper in the world (statistically) headlining three nights at their Finsbury Park home. Drake, in theory, gets it right – he treats this weekend like “three OVO Fests back-to-back”. Beforehand, the blueprint was clear: each night would be a thematic tribute to a different corner of his catalogue. What we also get is a reminder of how far the 6God has drifted from The Boy and his past gritty hunger into a shell of his former self, asking if we “want more” instead of lapping up the devotion.
That doesn’t mean watching Drake isn’t still a rare, generational spectacle. As sparks and fire fly, you can’t help but be mesmerised by the magnetism the rapper has. Even a Drake hater would swiftly drop their drink, screaming and waving manically at the Torontoian, floating over them on a glowing altar, highlighting an angelic halo around him. It’s a forced-yet-iconic move he repeats every night, making the crowd sing Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ to him. Surprisingly, it doesn’t get old three times over.
The rest of the weekend is something of a mixed bag. Night one is the strongest by far, the rapper using it to highlight overlooked greatness with guests Mario, Bobby V, Giveon, Bryson Tiller – pioneers of modern moody R&B. Some of Drake’s finest cult classics also get their moment in the spotlight, including ‘Marvin’s Room’, ‘Shot For Me’, ‘Feel No Ways’, giving us the yearning version of the star we’ve missed.
The spell, though, gets broken when he brings PartyNextDoor out to play some forgettable cuts from their latest album, ‘$ome $exy $ongs 4 U’. A surprise appearance from Lauryn Hill saves the day, Drake giving the barrier-breaking icon space not just to join him for his ‘Ex-Factor’-sampling 2018 single ‘Nice For What’, but also two of her own songs, too. It’s history: two hip-hop needlemovers teaming up in front of a London crowd.
Drake at Wireless 2025. Credit: Malique Stone
The following nights, though, feel like afterthoughts. On Saturday’s rap night, the undercard does the heavy lifting with UK underground trap heavyweights YT, Len and Fimiguerrero and grime and UK rap pioneers Boy Better Know setting the whole park ablaze. Drake’s set “for his dawgs” can’t live up to it, the definition of more bark than bite.
He skips undeniable rap staples like ‘Started From The Bottom’, ‘Worst Behaviour’ and ‘Over’, and brings out a predictable line-up of guests: Skepta, Dave, Central Cee, Latto, Sexyy Red and 21 Savage, all of whom bring more energy than their host. There’s one moment of brilliance, though, when he brings out rising London underground rapper Fakemink early on, proving that Drake can still spot the future even if he can’t fully embody it himself anymore.
By the time we reach Sunday’s 40-minute rave session, things reach peak confusion. There are carnival feathers, but no soca – instead, Drake gives some of his rhythmic pop-R&B songs an Afro-house makeover that’s tasteless and mind-numbingly boring. It’s a let-down – Jamaican pride swelled in the park earlier in the day as fans witnessed the king of dancehall, Vybz Kartel, perform in London for the first time in 20 years, live-debuting bashment classics ‘Clarks’ and ‘Romping Shop’ with Popcaan and Spice, respectively. Drake’s H&M shopfloor-filler revamps of ‘Find Your Love’ and‘Work’, among others, do a solid job of flattening that buzz to the point that even teasing a new song with Central Cee can’t lift spirits.
For all the scale and all the stats – most Billboard Number Ones, most streamed rapper ever, the fastest-selling Wireless edition in history – this should’ve been Drake’s victory lap, reminding us why he earned all his success. Instead, it feels like a man floating above his own myth, still chasing the love he’s already received. The Boy became a man, sure – but Drake’s record-breaking Wireless residency feels like he’s yet to grow up.
A dancer during Drake’s set at Wireless 2025. Credit: Malique Stone
Drake played:
July 11
‘Come And See Me’
‘Marvins Room’
‘Teenage Fever’
‘Virginia Beach’
‘Feel No Ways’
‘Passionfruit’
‘Hours In Silence’
‘Shot For Me’
‘Jungle’
‘Jaded’
‘Slow Down’
‘Let Me Love You’
‘Chicago Freestyle’
‘Twenties’
‘Heartbreak Anniversary’
‘Whatever She Wants’
‘Exchange’
‘CN Tower’
‘Moth Balls’
‘Spider-Man Superman’
‘Die Trying’
‘OMW’
‘Somebody Loves Me’
‘Pimmie’s Dilemma’
‘Nokia’
‘I Will Always Love You’
‘Ready Or Not’
‘Ex-Factor’
‘Nice For What’
‘In My Feelings’
July 12
‘IDGAF’
‘No Face’
‘Circadian Rhythm’
‘What Did I Miss?’
‘Headlines’
‘Energy’
‘Know Yourself’
‘Nonstop’
‘Sicko Mode’
‘LV Sandals’
‘Music And Me’
‘Only You Freestyle’
‘50s’
‘Warm’
‘Who Told You’
‘Shutdown’
‘Wanna Know’
‘Sprinter’
‘Band4Band’ / ‘Doja’ / ‘Day In The Life’
‘Obsessed With You’ / ‘Overseas’
‘Laugh Now Cry Later’
‘God’s Plan’
‘You Broke My Heart’
‘Nokia’
‘Somebody Loves Me’
‘Brokey’
‘Big Mama’
‘Get It Sexyy’ / ‘SkeeYee’ / ‘Pound Town’ / ‘Looking For The Hoes’
‘Rich Baby Daddy’
‘Knife Talk’
‘Rich Flex’
‘A Thousand Miles’
‘I Will Always Love You’
July 13
‘Unreleased Central Cee collaboration’
‘Come Closer’
‘Who Told You’
‘Signs’
‘Controlla’ / ‘Too Good’ / ‘Find Your Love’ / ‘Work’ / ‘Passionfruit’ / ‘No Guidance’ / ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ / ‘One Dance’
‘One Dance’
‘Find Your Love (Remix)’
‘Baby (Is It A Crime)’
‘Favorite Girl’
‘Calm Down’
‘Dumebi’
‘Ozeba’
‘Summer Time’
‘Hotline Bling’
‘Nokia’
‘I Will Always Love You’
‘Fever’
English (US) · 