Pops Culture

By: Papa Minnow

OvO Fest is back after a three year hiatus and this year the headline is a Young Money reunion. Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne will co-star along Drake on the final day of OvO Fest and reunite the iconic trio for the first time in several years.

Other known events include a Canadian North stars show at Drake’s venue History on July 28th, followed by Chris Brown and Lil Baby’s tour performing at Budweiser Stage on July 29th.

Guests have always been a staple at OvO Fest, but Drake is known to keep a couple of surprises for attendees and this year should be no different. With all the controversy surrounding ticket pricing, I expect some major acts to make some surprise appearances this year.

1) Tory Lanez

Drake and Tory have had tension in the past, but that all came to an end in 2017 when Drake brought Tory out to perform at OvO Fest. The two connected and put their differences to the side for an amazing moment, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen the two together in any capacity.

Given the festival’s length hiatus, I would expect a reunion from the two once again at this year’s show.

2) Jack Harlow

I would be shocked if Jack Harlow was not on a “First Class” trip to OvO Fest this year. The two have been spending quite a bit of time together, so much so that Harlow’s album felt very influenced by Drake’s sound.

Jack and Drake first appeared in photos in Turks & Caicos together and then later at Churchill Downs for Harlow’s music video. Expect to see the Kentucky King in Toronto next month.

3) Kanye West

It’s been an emotional rollercoaster ride between these two superstars over the past few years. Their beef coming to a head in 2018 after a feud between West’s label mate Pusha T and Drake blew up in the news.

Things continued to stay rocky well into 2021 when both Drake and Ye dropped their albums a few weeks apart and reignited their feud. However, the two did eventually reconcile in a civil manner and performed a show together in honor of Larry Hoover.

Despite their past issues, I could see Mr. West joining Drake for another special moment.

4) The Weeknd

A few weeks ago the Weeknd was set to start his Ater Hours Til Dawn Tour in Toronto’s biggest stadium, the Rogers Centre, but Rogers had other plans in mind. A nationwide outage led to the postponement of the Toronto concert for a later date.

However, there might be some hope for Toronto fans wishing to catch a glimpse of Abel. Looking at the Weeknd’s tour dates, there’s a brief break from July 30th to August 4th, meaning there is a chance that the Weeknd could give fans a small taste of what’s in store for them when he’s back in town.

5) Smiley

Toronto rapper Smiley has received the Drake co-sign with a pair of features that have helped him gain mainstream recognition. My guess is that Drake will once again put on for Smiley and the city and the 24 year old rapper will touch the stage for OvO Fest on the last day.

6) dvsn

This OvO signed duo was very active in 2021 releasing two solid projects including a joint album with Ty Dolla $ign. There hasn’t been much musically from them since, especially by way of collaboration with label head Drake, however a recent Instagram posting suggests a new EP titled If I Get Caught is on the way this week.

Given the timing of the release, an OvO Fest sighting could be great promotion for the project.

7) Young Money

This festival is titled as a Young Money reunion. I know that’s primarily aimed at Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, but I can’t see the crew missing out an opportunity to reunite as a whole.

Young Money has a plethora of posse cuts that would be sure to send the crowd into a frenzy. A “Bedrock” performance from the entire crew would create a memorable experience.

8) 21 Savage/Freddie Gibbs?

This one is a bit of a reach since 21 Savage is not eligible to cross the border and perform in Canada. But given Drake’s ties and the chemistry he’s created with Savage, it might be possible for the self-proclaimed “6god” to make it happen.

A noteworthy replacement would be Freddie Gibbs, who’s set to perform at Osheaga up until Sunday of that weekend, with a Toronto show at Danforth Hall on August 4th.

9) Chris Brown & Lil Baby

Breezy and Baby’s tour is apart of the festival weekend and although they leave town the following day, there is room for them to make a return trip for August 1st. I wouldn’t bet on it, but given an artist’s flexibility to fly private (Kylie Jenner), a night to make history is certainly possible.

10) Kendrick Lamar

I want to preface that there is a 0.001% chance that this happens. With all the past animosity, and continual little shots between Drake and Kendrick it’s hard to see the two getting past such a petty feud.

However, Drake has had feuds with several artists on this list and has managed to squash them at major events. Similar to other artists listed, Kendrick has a space in his tour between July 31st and August 2nd, and he’s due in Toronto 11 days later.

Again, I wouldn’t bet on it, but the theme of reunion gives off a slight hope of potentially squashing one Drake’s biggest beefs with one of the biggest artists in the game on a big stage. Here’s hoping they can get it done.

EDIT: A previous version of this article stated that Smiley would likely be a part of Drake’s Canadian North Stars event. This was removed with the revelation of the event’s guest lineup.

FEATURED IMAGE VIA XXL Magazine