Drake last night paid tribute to his favourite British artists during a sell-out gig at London’s O2 Arena.

The Canadian hip-hop star, who was performing on the first night of his 10-date UK tour, first told the 20,000 capacity crowd of his love for the capital, declaring: "Y'all got so much of the greatest talent in the world here [in London].

"I feel like London is responsible for so much of my career. So this isn't just a concert, it's a party, it’s a celebration of me!"

After name-checking Florence Welch, who was seen dancing enthusiastically in the audience, and grime artist Wiley as two of his favourite UK performers, he then joked to two fans that he was glad they chose to spend money on his show, rather than Adele’s, adding: "I mean I love Adele but she done sold a lot of records."

The 25-year-old, who is appearing at the same venue tonight (Mar 27) before moving onto Sheffield, Cardiff and Manchester, also attempted a London accent during the gig, telling the crowd to ‘Big up yourself, bruv!”