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The UK's biggest Rap & Hip-Hop festival is back at Finsbury Park, one of the only destinations you can see all the hottest artists in one weekend. Friday was headlined by Nicki Minaj and Future, J Hus and 21 Savage brought the energy for Saturday's headline and Doja Cat served as she performed the final headline set of the weekend. Wireless linked up exclusively with Amazon Music to showcase all of the performances from the weekend on a live stream, giving fans the opportunity to enjoy the performances from the comfort of their own home.
FRIDAY LINE UP INTRO
Ice Spice has been a hot topic in the rap game for over a year now and 2024 saw her receive a second Wireless main stage slot. While she had hit records like ‘Munch’ and ‘Princess Diana’ last year, she was still very new to the game and the art of performing. From the moment she hit the main stage this year, the energy was correct and she had the Friday crowd vibing with her performance. Tracks like 'Did It First' 'Boy's A Liar' 'Gimme A Light' were the fan favourites. A huge moment of the NY rappers set was when she brought out special guest Central Cee.
There has been a lot of rumours surrounding Central Cee and Ice Spice as the pair was spotted in London together, sparking the public to debate on whether they are dating. One thing we can confirm is the fact they dropped a Summer smash last Thursday with ‘Did It First’. As the track dropped just a day before her set in London, we was pretty certain Cench would pop out with her to premiere their new track.
That wasn’t the only special guest we got to see on Friday, the next surprise came during Future’s set. As we know there has been a lot of hype around recent rap beef with Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Future and co. After Future let us know which side he was standing on with featuring on the first Drake diss ‘Like That’, we had a feel Metro Boomin was going to be coming out with the ATL star. The duo are currently still on their ‘We Don’t Trust You Tour’ so it made sense to get some extra exposure at the UK’s biggest Hip Hop festival. It’s only until you hear all the hits back to back that you realise how many crowd controlling records Future and Metro have produced together, records like 'Mask Off' 'Type Sh*t' & 'Fried (She A Vibe)' had the London crowd in awe.
Saturday was probably the most anticipated day for many Wireless goers, you had J Hus at his first Wireless headline since 2019, along with Gunna first UK performance since being released from prison. With 21 Savages homecoming festival set back in the UK. There was an artist for everyone with a whole lot of vibes ranging from Hip Hop, to Afro, Amapiano & Reggae.
For me, there was one moment that stood out on Saturday and it was Gunna’s set. The come back was serious, after performing at Wireless a few years back, this recent performance was levels above. High energy, he interacted with the crowd well and he got to perform all his new hits, mixed with some of the older classics. It reminded me of Lil Baby’s set 2 years ago, the energy both these artists put out into the crowd, they received it back in abundance. Then they followed it up with a well thought out set list, full of hit records back to back.
Photography by. Lingford James
It feels like ages since we have even heard from J Hus, let alone see him perform. The UK star seems to jump back in and out the scene whenever he pleases but the love he gets from his fans never changes. The last time we saw Hus pop out at wireless was 2019, so when he was on the list of headliners, everyone was gassed. His performance proved why he’s still so highly rated in the game, no one has a vibe like him. He truly did supply the vibes, having the whole of Finsbury Park shaking a shoulder.
The second headline performance on Saturday was the homecoming for 21 Savage, which served as the perfect ending for the second day. While it took the rapper a few tracks to warm the crowd up, once he had peaked, he had one of thrilling performances of the day. There was a 3 different outfit changes during his set but the last one topped it all off. As soon as he came out in that iconic red Beckham England shirt, you knew it was about to go off. His performance concluded with the grand finale of 'Redrum', which had the crowd rocking as confetti and fireworks sprayed off to conclude a memorable Saturday performance.
Photography by. Lingford James
Sunday saw the final day of the weekend, with a line up full of talent. Prior to the weekend, the festival had announced that it would be finishing earlier at 7pm, to give fans a chance to watch the Euro Football Finals. Some fans were disappointed as they wanted the festival to finish at their normal time, whilst some wished they would have played the game on the big screens at the festival. Doja Cat, Don Toliver, Rema, Uncle Waffles & more were all on the header for the last day.
Don Toliver had the biggest surprise on the Sunday, the surprise came from an artist who had previously cancelled their set from the day before… Sexyy Red. The crowd reaction she got had to be the best of the day, fans were running over to the main stage to get a glimpse of her performing. There were so many factors that played a part; she’s one of the hottest female artists out right now, the fact that no one would have expected her to come out with Don T & the fact they was hyped about seeing her on Saturday. Either way, Sexyy lived up to expectations as she had the crowd singing ‘Get It Sexyy’ & 'Bow Bow Bow' word for word.
Photography by. Lingford James
Whoever headlined Sunday was always going to have a lot to do, with many fans attention being with the Euro’s final. Never the less, Doja Cat adapted to Sunday’s pressure with ease and showed out for her fans. Despite not listening to the artist myself, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed her set. Her energy and stage presence is perfect for a headline performer, almost acting her way through the show. Her outfit, like many other artists, showcased their respect for the UK, she came through in a Great Britain corset, leaving very little left for the imagination. Doja showed that she was a real crowd controller, her set was filled with captivating energy and choreographed routines. She ended her set immaculately, kicking a Euro football into the crowd cheering “come on England” finishes by a performance of her hit single ‘Say So’.
Wireless is the best place in the UK to watch all your favourite hip hop artists perform, from all over the world. Just like every year wireless was filled with surprise guests, vibes, good food and entertainment. Not only just Wireless weekend but the build up and aftermath are always packed with events in and around London, that’s what makes it such an occasion. The day before Wireless this year we saw Travis Scott bring his Circus Maximus Tour to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Due to acts being over here for Wireless, he brought out Ice Spice, Lil Baby and Central Cee.
The question is who would you like to see headline Wireless Festival 2025?
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