Drake confirms return of OVO Fest in summer 2025

Perth Now26-05-2025

Drake has confirmed OVO Fest is returning in 2025.
The 'God's Plan' hitmaker was a surprise guest during Central Cee's concert at History in Toronto on Saturday (24.05.25).
As well as performing 'Nokia' from his joint LP with PartyNextDoor, '$ome $exy $ongs 4 U', he revealed his label's music event, which he founded in 2010, and last took place in 2022, will be back this summer.
Drake said from the balcony: 'I'll see you this summer, by the way. OVO Fest will be back this year.'
Teasing grime star Central Cee's appearance at the festival, he went on: "We'll need you there for that.
'That guy right there, that's my f****** brother. I've seen this guy from day one, a humble spirit, a hard worker. This man observed all he needed to observe. This guy put the work in, made the songs. He's one of the best people I know. The realest.'
The 2022 OVO Fest featured performances from fellow rappers Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.
Meanwhile, Smiley recently teased Drake is working on new music.
The 27-year-old rapper - who is signed to the 'Hotline Bling' hitmaker's record label, OVO Sound - claimed in a video on his Instagram Stories that Drake, 38, has been working on new material during events, as well as on the set of Drake's 'Nokia' music video.
Smiley - whose real name is Alexander Morand, said in the clip - which was shared by Drake: "Brother, I'm telling you, I seen him the other day.
'We're at a party and he was in the other room by himself eating pasta with wired headphones writing music while we have a whole party going on. He's on a different mode right now.
'Even at the 'Nokia' video shoot, during breaks, he had a bunch of producers and he was just recording.
"So he's in that crazy mode, right now. (sic)'
Smiley - who collaborated with Drake on 'Over The Top' in 2021 - made the comments just weeks after Drake confirmed he is working on a new album, which he spilled is "a slap" on Adin Ross' livestream on Kick.
Drake said: "Thank you to everybody that's streaming the album. Every time, every journey. Working on a new album, it's a slap."
Asked if it's a solo record, he replied: "Yeah."
'$ome $exy $ongs 4 U' was released in February and was an instant chart-topper.
The five-time Grammy winner's confirmation of a new LP came just months after he told the crowd during his 'Anita Max Win' tour at RAC Arena in Peth, Australia, in February that he is working on an untitled LP, which he described as a "one-on-one talk" with his fans.
Drake said of his first solo LP since 2023's 'For All the Dogs': "I got a new album coming out on Valentine's Day with PARTYNEXTDOOR. It's called '$ome $exy $ongs 4 U.'
'And you know, eventually when the time is right, Drizzy Drake alone by himself is gonna have to have a one-on-one talk to y'all.
"When the time is right, I'll be back with another album, a one-on-one conversation with y'all that you need to hear."

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When stars sell addiction: The price of Drake's poisoned partnership

7NEWS

2 days ago

7NEWS

When stars sell addiction: The price of Drake's poisoned partnership

Drake's deep investment in gambling has become the subject of sobering social media posts from the Canadian rapper. Publishing a screenshot of his losses to his Instagram Stories this week, the Hotline Bling artist revealed he had gambled nearly $US125 million in the past month — and was down more than $US8 million. 'Losses are so fried right now … I hope I can post a big win for you all soon cause I am the only one who has never seen a max,' he wrote. 'These guys max once a week.' The post comes amid Drake's ongoing multi-million-dollar partnership with crypto betting platform Stake. The deal, inked in early 2022, reportedly earns him up to $100 million annually in promotional and ambassadorial fees. In an announcement post on the online casino said: 'Music sensation, Drake, has been a long-time member of the Stake community. A player storming the high ranks of the VIP program, Drake fell in love with both the platform and the perks associated with our VIP program. It was then that this partnership was formed, based on mutual appreciation between mega-star and product.' Just how front-of-mind is the Stake partnership to Drake? Stake's social handle is the first mention in his Instagram bio, before his own companies, including OVO and his Better World fragrance. What's more, during his most recent Australian tour in February, he staged an incident of him being bothered by a drone at his penthouse suite in Sydney. After clocking millions of views for the footage of him throwing a shoe at the drone, the choreographed placement of the camera in front of his laptop — with pride of place — made it clear it was an advertisement. Alarmingly, on the same day he posted about his losses, Drake also shared a clip of himself using AI platform ChatGPT to help decide which bets to place. In the 90-second video posted to social media, Drake asks: 'Should I try a $200,000 buy on [slot game] Puffer Stacks or a $100,000 buy on [wild-west slot game] Wanted?' ChatGPT recommended betting on Wanted. He followed the advice — and lost. 'OK Wanted didn't pay out at all,' he said in the clip. 'Do you think that I should give it another shot?' Later, he jokes: 'Imagine it's a Stake representative on the other line.' Loading Instagram Post Drake's posts raise a question: is he helping to highlight the dangers of addiction — or is he desensitising audiences to the real-world consequences, normalising multimillion-dollar losses and glamourising them as entertainment? Some fans were quick to criticise him in the comment sections. 'He really be losing millions like it's Monopoly money, meanwhile I cry when my card declines at McDonald's.' 'When you're down $8M and still chasing that one max win like it's destiny. The house always eats, even if you're Drake.' 'He should also share that it's almost certainly all house money from Stake that he bets.' Drake is far from the only celebrity making headlines for gambling Rapper Lil Baby has admitted to having a gambling problem, revealing on Lil Yachty's podcast that he lost about $8 million in a day — and quit gambling as a result. In January, Bruno Mars joked about his rumoured gambling debts, writing: 'I'll be out of debt in no time,' in a post about passing 150 million monthly Spotify listeners. In 2023, NBA icon Allen Iverson spoke candidly about blowing approximately $US200 million in career earnings on legal issues, alcohol and gambling. Back home, former AFL star Brendan Fevola lost millions to gambling — selling his Coleman Medal, declaring bankruptcy, and joining I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in a bid to rebuild his image. And Bert Newton, the late Australian TV legend, faced a gambling addiction so serious it nearly bankrupted him and wife Patti. He was more than $1 million in debt and given repeated ultimatums to choose between his family and the TAB. Australia has one of the highest rates of gambling participation and loss globally, with a significant number of people suffering from addiction or related harm. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australians lose more than $30 billion annually to legal gambling — the highest per capita loss rate in the world.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Drake reveals multimillion-dollar gambling losses

News.com.au

3 days ago

News.com.au

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Drake reveals multimillion-dollar gambling losses

The rapper shared a screenshot of his monthly betting tallies on social media, letting slip he had lost more than $8 million in the month leading to 19 June. He wrote below the numbers, 'Gotta share the other side of gambling. Losses are so fried right now.' The screenshot indicated Drake had wagered $50,255,270 in the previous week, $75,318,524 in the past fortnight, and $124,527,265 across the past month. His losses for the entire period came to a total of $8,235,686. The Hotline Bling artist has had gambling wins in the past.