Lil Wayne to perform at what is believed to be his first UK show in 14 years

Prominent female artists such as Mabel and Katy B also feature on the line-up.

Rapper Lil Wayne at the MTV movie awards (PA)

By Connie Evans, PA Entertainment Reporter

February 17 2022 02:45 AM

American rapper Lil Wayne will play what is believed to be his first UK show in 14 years this summer at the Strawberries & Creem festival in Cambridge.

The musician, 39, has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and won five Grammy awards.

He was previously forced to cancel an anticipated UK tour in 2011 after his visa application was reportedly rejected by UK border authorities due to prior convictions in the US.

The festival are continuing their pledge to feature high numbers of female artists (Strawberries and Creem/PA).

His performance at Strawberries & Creem festival will be his only European show in 2022, the festival said.

The festival, which has been running since 2014, has also continued its pledge from last year to feature more female acts – with artists such as Mabel, Ella Mai and Tems performing as part of what the festival says is a strongly female line-up.

After the festival’s collaboration with UN Women UK on the Safe Spaces Now: In Music initiative in 2021, organisers have committed to further work to achieve gender equality in crowds as well as on stages.

Measures to tackle sexual harassment and abuse will reportedly be strengthened during the three-day event, with the festival saying ensuring women’s safety is a top priority.

Festival co-founder Preye Crooks said: “This year, as we scale up to a full three days, we wanted to ensure our musical offering matched that level of ambition – as well as reflecting our incredibly diverse crowd. We have gone further than ever before to bring exceptional artists together, showing Strawberries & Creem to be a major player on the weekend festival scene.

“As a team, we also wanted to shine a light on some amazing genres and artists that aren’t always celebrated in full at other festivals. We hope we have curated a truly representative and exciting line-up, one that offers an unrivalled experience to our festival goers – covering everything from D&B and dance music, to reggae and R&B.”

British-Swedish singer Mabel features as one of the most recognisable female artists on the line up (Jacob King/PA)

The event will feature DJ sets from an all-female collective as well as performances from a variety of female singer-songwriters, including Katy B and Lisa Maffia.

The festival will run for three days between June 17 and June 19 at Childerley Orchard in Cambridge.