Wireless 10 review: Drake shuts down Finsbury Park with explosive headline set

After disappointing thousands of fans with his cancelled appearance in 2014, it is safe to say rapper Drake fully redeemed himself at the New Look Wireless 10 festival.

The Canadian hip hop star headlined the anniversary concert at London's Finsbury Park on 28 June and it was undeniably worth the wait, with his one-man show proving to be the highlight of the evening.

Emerging from a cloud of white smoke, the newly bearded 28 year old immediately put the audience through their paces, seamlessly transitioning from classic hits such as Over and The Motto, to new album cuts including Preach and Know Yourself.

The switching back-and-forth was dizzying but welcome, serving as a reminder of the sheer amount of hit singles Drizzy has amassed since he burst into the hip hop scene in 2009.

Watch Drake performing Know Yourself at Wireless 10:

Despite several whispers that Kanye West or Skepta would be joining Drake on stage, the rapper decided to hog the spotlight for himself. That was by no means a bad thing.

The hitmaker was able to command the audience's attention even during the mellower moments, where he serenaded them with Hold On We're Going Home and Take Care.

Rather than ending with a powerfully energetic number, Drizzy chose to mark his place in hip hop history with the If You're Reading This It's Too late mixtape opener Legend.

Just like Kanye declaring himself "the greatest living rock star on the planet" at Glastonbury, it was a bold statement from Drizzy but he certainly has potential to attain "legendary" status.

Elsewhere on the Wireless 10 bill, singer Rita Ora jazzed up her pop hits with an urban tinge to suit the overall tone of the event, even inviting UK rap sensations Krept & Konan on stage to perform a remix of their hit Freak Of The Week.

Compared to Drake, Boy Better Know and even Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, the new X Factor judge received somewhat of a lukewarm reception from the audience but that did not stop her from gyrating and twerking around the stage as though it were her last performance.

Always a crowd pleaser, Katy B brought the energy to the main stage with her infectious dance hits while US rapper Kid Ink held his own and worked the crowd like a pro.

Interestingly, many festivalgoers that IBTimes UK spoke to questioned why the Hotel rapper was given an earlier performance slot before fellow US hip hop star Chance The Rapper who has a much smaller catalogue.

After watching Kid Ink's set, it is a fair question.

The grime scene completely shone on the Pepsi Max stage where the limitless collective Boy Better Know flooded the stage with the likes of Skepta, JME, Jammer and Lethal B, while on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, R&B singer Jhene Aiko mellowed the tone with her sultry jams.

If Wireless 10 was just a taster of what is to come from the official festival weekend, ticket-holders are in for a treat.

Wireless Festival takes place from 3 July to 5 July at Finsbury Park and will see the likes of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Avicii, David Guetta and Nicki Minaj perform.