Online Reporter
LONDON. —He hadn’t been in town for 20 years but on Sunday, Vybz Kartel’s victory lap continued in London as the Wireless Festival came to a close.
Kartel, who served 13 years in prison, was visibly moved by the fanfare and excitement surrounding his return.
“Twenty years I haven’t been here. It’s a pleasure,” Kartel said as he grinned. The Worl’ Boss hasn’t lost a step. For more than 90 minutes, he applied pressure, unleashing an arsenal of hits.
Whether skating through “Picture This” or teaming up with Spice for their instant classic “Romping Shop,” the island vibes were alive and well.
Beyond playing the hits, he also leaned on the younger generation to keep the crowd active, bringing out Moliy for her Hot 100 hit “Shake It to the Max.”
A sea of Jamaican flags flooded the crowd. According to the 6 God, Kartel’s return was the top priority, and he had ample time to shine.
Meanwhile, Drake isn’t letting his feud with Kendrick Lamar fade anytime soon.
On Sunday night, Drake’s love letter to London concluded during the finale of his Wireless Festival takeover.
While the first two nights were frontloaded with special guests such as Lauryn Hill, 21 Savage, Latto, Sexyy Red, Skepta, Central Cee and Bryson Tiller, due to Wireless’ hard out, the finale lacked the same level of star power.
Unbothered by the time constraints, Drake played facilitator and leaned on dancehall icon Vybz Kartel and Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy to dictate the tempo in what was considered a global affair for those in attendance.
“Today, I really wanted to pay my respect to the performers. Bringing the Worl’ Boss home to London after 20 years, making sure that he got time to headline his set. Bringing out Big 7, Burna Boy and making sure he got his time to rock with y’all,” said Drake.
Alongside Kartel’s fiery performance, Burna Boy brought out Lauryn Hill and YG Marley, while Drake teased new music with Central Cee, slated to drop on Friday (July 18).
On Saturday Drake, the 38-year-old rap superstar responded as the crowd at Finsbury Park erupted into a chant of “f**k Kendrick.”
Catching wind of the chant, Drake turned to his longtime associate Chubbs and said,
“Grab me a shot. I’ll drink to that.”
The moment came shortly after the “What Did I Miss?” artist challenged the audience to “name another artist” who could go head-to-head with him onstage.
- Dot wasn’t the only one in Drake’s crosshairs during his weekend outing in the U.K.
The Toronto MC also appeared to take a shot at NBA legend LeBron James by subtly altering the lyrics to his track “Nonstop.”
“How I go from 6 to 23, no LeBron,” he rapped, flipping the original line and hinting at tension in their once-close friendship.
The lyrical tweak comes shortly after fans noticed Drake had covered his LeBron James tattoo, replacing it with new ink honouring reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
During Saturday’s set, Drake made a bold statement that stirred national pride and debate.
“Nobody can out-rap London — nobody,” he told the crowd.
“No disrespect to America. No disrespect to my country. But, nobody can out-rap London rappers. This is the best, this is the highest level. This is what I aspire to be.”— Billboard
