Drake joins Vybz Kartel as Kartel plays three sold-out Toronto nights

Drake made a surprise appearance Sunday night, Oct. 26, at Scotiabank Arena as Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel performed his first concert in Canada, a show that launched three soldout nights at the Toronto venue and made Kartel the first Jamaican artist to reach that milestone there. The surprise set by Drake elevated an already celebratory night that marked a significant moment for Kartel and for Toronto's large Caribbean community.

Drake joined Kartel from a lower-level balcony, praising the artist who has influenced his music and asking the crowd to give Kartel their full recognition. "I used to hand out flyers outside of a club called Escape just to go inside to the club and listen to your tunes," Drake said onstage, before performing an eight-song mini-set that included Controlla, One Dance, Hotline Bling and Nokia. He later embraced Kartel and called the night a homecoming, telling the audience the performance was "not just about music" and welcoming Kartel back to the city.

Kartel, wearing full Toronto Blue Jays gear and a jersey with Worl Boss stitched on the back, opened the show with his remix of Akon's Locked Up and delivered a high-energy set that included...