Dreamville Fest: Usher’s April Fools’ joke + Drake and J. Cole’s co-headlining set
Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on April 3, 2023
Usher pulled a prank on fans who attended the Dreamville Festival last weekend: Taking the stage on April Fools’ Day, the singer introduced Beyoncé as a guest on his set.
“You know, I don’t know if you guys listened to some of the interviews that I did before we decided to do this show, but as promised I said I would have a special surprise for you tonight, ladies and gentlemen,” he said at the time. “You guys wanna know what that surprise is? Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado … Put your hands together for the one, the only: Beyoncé.”
Usher then made it seem as if he was waiting for Bey to make her way onstage before eventually telling the crowd, “April fools!”
Dreamville Fest took place April 1-2 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Day two included a co-headlining set by Drake and J. Cole.
For the first time in over 10 years, Cole performed “Villematic” from his 2010 mixtape Friday Night Lights. Since the song borrows from the beat of Kanye West’s “Devil in a New Dress,” he publicly asked Ye to clear the sample.
Cole’s set was followed by Drake’s, which included guest appearances from GloRilla, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne and 21 Savage. Drizzy then welcomed Cole back to the stage and asked the crowd to honor the Dreamville star by joining in a sing-along of Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You.”
“I feel like I’m speaking for all of us when I say this: we’re all wowed, amazed, blown away by your greatness, bro,” Cole said of Drake in return. “It gives a n**** chills to see you do this s*** at the highest level nonstop and constantly serve us and bless us with the f****** soundtrack to our lives.”
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