OVO Fest 2014: Drake, OutKast, Lauryn Hill and Others Highlight Star-Studded Weekend in Toronto
Rapper Drake's fifth annual hip hop festival OVO Fest was star-studded over the weekend in Toronto, bringing both new artists as well as reclusive veterans to the stage. The Aug. 4-5 festival celebrated legends like Outkast and Lauryn Hill as well as younger artists like YG and Jhene Aiko.
The Canadian rapper named the music festival after his October's Very Own brand, making sure the OVO Fest represented both the rapper and Toronto's presence in the rap scene.
This year's lineup was a relative mystery, with the only listed artists performing being Atlanta duo Outkast the first night, and the show's namesake headlining the final night. Speculation around who would perform ran rampant.
The first night played out relatively calmly according to viewers, with songstress Aiko performing before the night's headliners took the stage. Outkast brought the energy of their other festival performances this year, even surprising viewers with a guest appearance by Bun B for "International Player's Anthem."
During the second night, Drake really flexed his reach to the most elite rap and R&B performers.
The first guest of the night was former-Fugees singer Lauryn Hill. The elusive Ms. Hill performed both group and solo hits, sharing the stage with Drizzy for "Doo Wop (That Thing)," blending her original into Drake's sampled-version in "Draft Day."
Following a few of his own hits like "The Language" and "We Made It," Drake brought out Trey Songz, who performed his smash hit "Na Na." Usher, 50 Cent and G-Unit member Lloyd Banks each performed to the screams of surprised audiences.
Even with the impressive list of guests, critics like Adrien Lee are worried that the Toronto-born rapper is gaining too much popularity for the surprise-based format of the two-day festival.
"[Drake's] a superstar who needs to prostrate to nobody, and he'd be big enough to headline a festival like OVO Fest, but he's not seen as big enough by the OVO Fest crowd -- they want surprises!" Lee wrote on the Canadian online magazine Macleans. "There's no denying his passion for his hometown and his desire to bring a big show to town. But when he's bigger than any show he can bring, but not good enough for the audience, what becomes of the surprise showcase? It's the question we never asked when considering who would play this year's fest: which artists are left who can really match Drake?"
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