Drake was a special guest at Central Cee’s headlining show on Saturday night (May 24) in his hometown of Toronto, where he proclaimed OVO Fest would return before the end of the year.
“OVO Fest is back this year,” he told the crowd, although he didn’t offer any further details.
Drake founded the music festival in 2010, but the last iteration of it took place in 2022, when he invited Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Nelly Furtado and more to join him in his city. Past guests include The Weeknd, 50 Cent, J. Cole, Big Sean and Lauryn Hill.
DRAKE
OVO FEST
🚨COMING 2025🚨
Drake was at Central Cee’s Toronto show and announced it’s return 🦉 pic.twitter.com/Mn3k6bzySL
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) May 25, 2025
Drake’s career has been marred by his now-infamous beef with Kendrick Lamar. It began last year with Lamar’s verse on Future & Metro Boomin’s track “Like That.” From there, it exploded into multiple diss tracks firing from both sides.
The final installment in the contentious battle, Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” resulted in a career high for the former Top Dawg Entertainment artist. Not only did it land him the coveted Super Bowl Halftime Show gig in February, it also earned Lamar five Grammy Awards at the 2025 ceremony, including Record and Song of the Year.
But perhaps most importantly, it enraged Drake to the point he filed a legal complaint against Universal Music Group, alleging the company enabled the release and widespread promotion of “Not Like Us,” which Drake claims falsely portrayed him as a criminal and incited public outrage.
In his lawsuit, Drake asserts that UMG “approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” that he argues was designed to convey the “unmistakable and factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile,” prioritizing corporate interests over his safety and well-being.
He further expanded his complaint to include UMG’s alleged role in negotiating and promoting Lamar’s performance of the song at high-profile events such as the 2025 Super Bowl and Grammys, contending that these broadcasts introduced the allegedly defamatory material to millions of viewers and led to increased threats against him and his family.
UMG has strongly denied Drake’s allegations, calling the claims “utterly without merit” and arguing that the lyrics in question are protected artistic expression typical of competitive rap battles. The label also emphasized that Drake himself has engaged in similar lyrical rivalries and that the subjective opinions of online commenters don’t constitute defamation.
Despite UMG’s motion to dismiss, the court has allowed the discovery process to proceed, meaning both sides will have to provide documents and evidence related to the case.
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