On Friday, July 11, the Main Stage was headlined by Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR, with performances from guest artists like Summer Walker, Leon Thomas, KWN, Odeal, and DJ AG. The Old Spice Stage was lit up by Roy Woods, Sailor, Karri, Nippa, Swavy, and Kamilla Rose, while Taylor Rae, Naira, Donch, and Jada Kai brought energy elsewhere on the grounds. The Hennessy Stage featured Marcus Blue and DJs Juls, Mercedes Benson, Ace, and Sugar B.

The following day, Saturday, July 12, Drake remained the Main Stage constant, joined this time by Boy Better Know, BigXthaPlug, Lancey Foux, Nemzzz, Sahbabii, and DJ AG. The Old Spice Stage was newly reloaded with Fimiguerrero, LEN, Chy Cartier, YT, and Kenny Allstar. Meanwhile, DJs Supa D, Rampage, Sir Corey, and Twin B kept the decks alive, with Sugar B making a return. The VIP Village buzzed with Travis Presents, Bempah (Scary Things), EJ, Jay Knox, and Cvss.

Sunday brought the festival to a euphoric close with a more global, genre-spanning roster. The Main Stage was led by Drake once again, this time joined by Burna Boy, Vybz Kartel, Popcaan, Spice, Masicka, and DJ AG. The Old Spice Stage featured an electric run from Darkoo, Odumodublvck, Skitty, and Izzy Bossy. The Hennessy Stage wrapped with high-powered sets from resident DJs Suga B and Marcus Blue, Nicky Slimting, and Heartless Crew.

A new wave of African artists was unveiled at this year’s edition, bringing fresh energy to the festival alongside a few familiar faces. Rema, who co-headlined in 2024, was a surprise guest this time, introduced by Drake. Uncle Waffles returned to the decks but was unable to give the crowd a blast on the Hennessy Sage due to claims of poor time management and handling by the festival planners.

Top 5 Afrocentric Moments That Lit Up the Wireless Festival Stage

Drake Bringing Out Rema on Stage
Before Rema came on, Drake vaguely teased the crowd with, “I’m gonna let him do his thing for this show, that’s all. Let’s go.” But as the DJ cued in Rema’s first single of the year, “Baby (Is It a Crime)”, the audience erupted in excitement, quickly catching on to who was about to step out. Rema slowly strutted on stage in an unbuttoned black fur-collared coat, baggy white jeans, a baseball cap, and shades, fully leaning into his mysterious persona. It was a surprise moment no one saw coming, as Rema wasn’t listed on the official Wireless 2025 lineup.

A New Version of Moliy’s ‘Shake It To The Max (Fly)’ with Stefflon Don
Following the rise of her dancehall-inspired hit “Shake It To The Max (Fly)”, the remix featuring Caribbean stars Shenseea and Skillibeng — reportedly facilitated by Jamaican producer Silent Addy — helped the song dominate the Caribbean and push into global charts. During his set, dancehall legend Vybz Kartel invited Moliy on stage for a performance of the song alongside English rapper and singer Stefflon Don, who debuted a new verse live, hinting at a potential remix on the way.

Burna Boy’s Debut Performance
Shortly after his set, clips surfaced online of Burna Boy appearing shocked at the smaller-than-expected crowd, clearly anticipating a turnout more like his headlining tour shows. Still, the Grammy-winning performer didn’t let it dull the moment. He opened with his crowd-favourite feature on Dave’s “Location”, followed by a powerful medley including “Ye”, “City Boys”, “Gbona”, “Update”, “Talibans II”, “Tested, Approved and Trusted”, and “On the Low”. A surprise moment came when he brought out Lauryn Hill and her son, YG Marley, to perform an unreleased version of “Praise Jah in the Moonlight”, which included a Burna Boy verse.

Odumodublvck’s Shirtless Set on the Old Spice Stage
The 2025 Wireless Festival also marked Odumodublvck’s debut on the Old Spice Stage. Known for his rugged energy, the rapper kicked off in a tracksuit, but by the time he performed his 2024 single “NOT ALL THAT”, the layers were coming off. Mid-set, he was down to a T-shirt and track pants, eventually going fully shirtless as he led the crowd through a live rendition of Davido’s “Funds”. The highlight came with “PITY THIS BOY”, closing out a relentless, high-octane set.

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Darkoo Joins Rema, Drake, and Popcaan on the Main Stage.

In 2024, Rema brought out Darkoo during his own set to perform their then-unreleased collaboration “Favourite Girl”. This year, the moment was mirrored as the two reunited — now with Drake and Popcaan on stage — for a full-circle performance. After a quick chat with Drake and Popcaan, Darkoo shared a warm embrace with Rema before delivering the crowd-pleaser.

African Artists Held Their Own
Despite time mismanagement affecting artists like Uncle Waffles, African heritage was deeply embedded throughout the 20th Wireless Festival. From the Main Stage to the Old Spice Stage and even into DJ-heavy sets at the Hennessy, the presence of African voices — new and returning — helped shape the cultural pulse of this year’s celebration.

Watch the full performances of the Wireless Festival 2025.

The post Top 5 African Moments at the 20th Wireless Festival 2025 appeared first on Afromixx.

Joining Drake as special guests are Nigerian Afrobeat sensation Burna Boy and Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel. Burna Boy Joins Drake as Special Guest at Wireless Festival 2025 on Sunday, July 13th, alongside Vybz Kartel as guest artists.

The complete setlist for each day has yet to be announced, but attendees can anticipate an exciting lineup of artists to commemorate the festival’s two-decade milestone.

The post Burna Boy Joins Drake as Special Guest at Wireless Festival 2025 appeared first on Afromixx.

The festival was hosted by DJ and radio presenter Remi Burgz, Nadia Jae, DJ Target, and more. Kicking off on Friday last week, attendees were able to experience Nicki Minaj perform a full headline set for £94.60. And not just Nicki Minaj; a list of other artists was added to the Friday line-up, such as IceSpice, Sean Paul, Flo Milli, Destroy Lonely, and so on. Future appeared as a guest artist, and as he performed “Mask Off,” Finsbury Park roared back and sang along. The next day, the ticket sold for £148.00, with 21 Savage and Jhus as headliners. Other acts scheduled for Saturday included Asake, Gunna, Sexxy Red, Friday, Shalipopi, Skillibeng, and more.

Doja Cat proved to be the best headliner for the 2024 Wireless festival, as she wowed the crowd with an outstanding performance. Sunday saw more performances from Rema, Don Toliver, Uncle Waffles, Digga D, Ruger, Cash Cobain, but Tyla for some reason didn’t show up.

Since its inception in 2005, Wireless Festival has waxed stronger as a platform for fans to experience a live atmosphere and party with their favorite artists and to their favorite songs. With the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some of our favorite African artists’ performance from this year’s Wireless Festival;

Rema

Rema gave an energetic performance that engaged and delighted the crowd yesterday. Standing on a set design that resembled a well carved volcanic rock to sing to the 50,000 crowd before walking the main stage. He performed songs like Holiday, Dimension, Soweto, Dimension, and a few tracks from his debut album. But not enough songs from his recent release, sadly. He shared the stage with Darkoo and debuted his verse on her viral “favorite girl” song, which is thought to be the remix. Shallipopi and his brother Zerrydl also joined Rema on the main stage to perform a song from his recently released sophomore album, Benin Boys.

Uncle Waffles 

Uncle Waffles not only put on a terrific performance, captivating the crowd with her DJ and impressive dance skills, but she also marked a significant achievement as the first DJ to headline in eight years and the only Amapiano act to perform at the event.

Asake 

Beginning his performance by recreating lil Yachty’s notorious “coffin entrance,” Asake owned the crowd, pulled off his shirt, and also invited a fan on stage to perform his Wave featuring Central Cee. He ended his act on a poetic note with Peace Be Unto You, a song from his debut album.

Ruger 

Ruger’s stage presence elicits just one reaction; the ladies swooning. Known for his playboy demeanor both on and off stage, the Wireless Festival crowd was treated to a sensual and electric performance. If you haven’t seen Ruger play live, he ultimately takes off his clothes and grabs a waist. 

Shallipopi 

On Saturday, Shallipopi also gave a satisfactory performance, and held his own on the Amazon music stage. He performed some of his hit songs, including “Cast,” which has recently regained popularity and is making onto new fans’ playlists of new fans as well as the lips of foreign artists like Travis Scott.

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