Vybz Kartel electrified Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena Sunday night (October 26) as he launched his first-ever Canadian concert, and Drake made the moment even bigger by stepping in for a surprise performance that left the crowd roaring.
The Vybz Kartel show marked the first of three sold-out nights at the arena, making him the first Jamaican artist to reach that milestone at the venue. Dressed in full Toronto Blue Jays gear, Kartel stormed the stage to his remix of Akon’s “Locked Up,” swinging a baseball bat and wearing a powder-blue jersey stitched with “Worl’ Boss” on the back.
The 49-year-old dancehall veteran, who’s been navigating life with Graves’ disease, didn’t hold back. Drake performed “Controlla” and “Nokia” and shared a personal memory of his early days as a teenager outside the now-closed Escape Nightclub. The concert was presented by Drake’s OVO label, continuing the partnership between the two artists that began earlier this year when Kartel joined Drake on stage at London’s Wireless Festival. Kartel’s return to the stage follows a dramatic legal reversal. After serving nearly a decade behind bars for a 2014 murder conviction, his case was overturned in March 2024 due to juror misconduct. He was released later that year and quickly resumed his career, earning a Grammy nomination and launching a global tour.
The Toronto shows represent a full-circle moment for both artists — one who grew up idolizing the other, and one who finally stepped onto Canadian soil after decades of influence.