The song premiered yesterdayDrake on the Some Special Shows 4 U tour (Image: Theo Skudra)

Fans at Co-Op Live were treated to the world-first performance of a brand-new Drake track as he brought out a special guest to perform it.

The Canadian rapper will perform over four nights in the city, beginning last night (July 25) with a career-spanning setlist that kicked things off with a bang.

His sojourn in the UK began in Birmingham on July 20, starting his Some Special Songs 4 U tour that will take him across Europe in August and September alongside fellow rapper Partynextdoor.

At the same time, he has been teasing new releases from his upcoming Iceman project, continuing in this vein with a surprise drop yesterday (July 25) of a new song Which One, a dance-hall flavoured tune featuring British rapper Central Cee.

And in honour of the new release, Drake brought the London rapper to the Co-Op Live stage yesterday – to the delight of his thousands of fans.

“Make some noise for my brother Central Cee – I know we look alike,” the rapper joked.

The pair performed their new track Which One together before the Brit took the spotlight temporarily to perform his track Sprinter, released with fellow rapper Dave in 2023.

He cut a casual figure in black cargo pants, a black graphic tee and baseball cap, alongside a large green leather backpack which he kept on throughout the performance.

“What did he pack for lunch in that back pack”, joked one TikTok commenter.

Their joint performance was met with screams of joy from the crowd, although some fans commenting on social media expressed disappointment that there had been no special guests for the Birmingham shows.

User Evie wrote on TikTok: “And Birmingham got nothing…”. “I knew I should have gone Manchester,” wrote another.

Drake has quite the history of collaborating with British rappers, featuring on tracks with J Hus, Headie One, Giggs, Dave and Skepta over the years.

Drake and Central Cee with Vybz Kartel and Popcaan at Wireless Festival 2025(Image: WireImage)

This is his third time performing in Manchester, after the Boy Meets World Tour in 2017 and the Assassination Vacation Tour in 2019.

During his time in the city so far he has been spotted in a number of celeb haunts, including the Ivy restaurant in Spinningfields – and, somewhat unexpectedly, at Piccadilly station.

“It’s been too long,” he told the crowd last night, referencing the six years which have elapsed since his last visit. “I left you for too many years and want to apologise.”