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Rb Hip Hop

Underground Rap Festival First Class Fest Comes to The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto for 2026 Edition with Lucki, Osamason and More

The festival will come to the outdoor venue on Aug. 28-29 with a buzzy lineup that includes Che, Bktherula, Nettspend and more.

First Class Fest

First Class Fest

First Class Fest is landing back in Toronto with its biggest edition yet.

The Canadian underground hip-hop festival will take over The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium on Aug. 28-29, led by some of the genre's most buzzing names.


Friday will be headlined by explosive rising star Osamason and British underground pioneer Lancey Foux, while veteran Lucki and rising star Nettspend are taking the reins for Saturday. The bustling lineup is also graced by Che, Bktherula, Black Kray, UntilJapan, Skaiwater and many more.

Many are acts who have played headline tours and festival slots in Canada over the past year in venues like Toronto's HISTORY, Montreal's MTELUS and the festivals Palomosa and Osheaga. Many also have played tastemaking hip-hop festival Rolling Loud.

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After starting out with local concerts in Toronto and Montreal that brought artists like Che and Osamason to Canada for the first time, First Class Fest is upgrading to its first outdoor festival. The festival began in 2022 as way to bring underground rap artists to Canada, where tours often skipped.

There's also a spotlight on Canadian artists, including Sorisa — one of Billboard Canada's 2026 Artists to Watch — Jahsh, Katozai and 10k Moss and Wavy Jack$on, all of whom hail from Toronto.

The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium has a 9,000 capacity and is back after The Feldman Agency venuue went quiet last summer.

Discover the full lineup below:

Tickets are currently on sale. Find more info here.

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Drummer Frank Beard of American rock band ZZ Top at their concert in Munich, Germany 1986.
Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance/Getty Images

Drummer Frank Beard of American rock band ZZ Top at their concert in Munich, Germany 1986.

FYI

Obituaries: Tributes to ZZ Top's Frank Beard, Actor/Singer Hayden Panettiere

This week we also acknowledge the passing of Hall of Fame blues/R&B singer Latimore and legendary Australian music industry veteran Johnny Young.

Frank Lee Beard, drummer with Texan rock greats ZZ Top for 56 years, died on Aug. 17, at age 77.

A press release from longtime band publicist Bob Merlis confirmed his passing, stating that Beard was “in hospice care when he passed away at his ranch in Richmond, TX with family members at his side.”

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