Toronto's First Class Fest, a show that bills itself as "Canada's biggest rap festival," is set to start tomorrow, but it has lost one fifth of its lineup at the last minute. First Class is a relatively small operation, founded by two guys in their early twenties, and it's set to start tomorrow at the Bowl at Sobey's Stadium. They've been putting on shows since 2022, and this will be their first outdoor festival. The bill leans heavily into the chaotic, digitally distorted form of underground rap known as rage, and it looks like the planning has been just as chaotic as the music.
At the top of this post, you'll see the First Class Fest lineup as it looked when the organizers announced it in February. Last weekend, though, Che dropped off day one. When they made the announcement, the organizers wrote that the change "was unforeseen and beyond our control." Che and was replaced by Xaviersobased. Black Kray also dropped off day one and was replaced by TwentyThree, while Skaiwater dropped off day two, replaced by Diamond* and Jaeychino. I'm sure that's not what anyone wants, but give the bookers credit for finding comparable fill-ins.
On Tuesday, Nettspend announced his own cancellation, posting, "Sorry 2 my fans. I Will not be making it 2 Toronto." The fest confirmed last night that Nettspend won't be at the show, and they are not happy. In their Instagram announcement, the bookers wrote, "[Nettspend] did not provide us with an explanation. We know how disappointing this is to you all. It is just as devastating to us... We do not condone the disrespect it shows to First Class Fest, and more importantly, to everyone attending the festival."
Shortly after that change, the First Class organizers announced that Nettspend would be replaced by 1oneam, Apollo Red, and night one headliner OsamaSon, who will return for a "leaks and unreleased" set.
Lately, there have been online rumors about a rift between OsamaSon and Nettspend, but you have to be pretty deep into this particular corner of the rap internet to know anything about that. Whatever the circumstances, this is pure nightmare fuel for anyone who has ever promoted a show, so give these guys credit for making sure the festival happens anyway.
