Kanye West has drafted some of the top names in urban music for his Glow in the Dark tour, dates for which are still coming together. The outing will feature support from Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco and N.E.R.D., according to a post on West's blog.
West told Billboard last summer he was collaborating on the Glow in the Dark tour with Madonna choreographer Jamie King. Dates have yet to be announced. Contrary to the poor touring track record for major hip-hop stars, West has been a consistent box-office draw: His 2005 tour with Fantasia and Keyshia Cole grossed $8.4 million and drew more than 210,000 people to 46 shows reported to Billboard Boxscore.
"A lot of people want to be too cool onstage," he said when asked why hip-hop tours don't sell tickets. "I do an hour-and-a-half with no hype man, running around onstage. The touring can only get better because the longer a song's out, the more people get into it."
And with West, Fiasco and N.E.R.D.'s Pharrell Williams in the same venue, it would be reasonable to expect a performance from the trio's side project, Child Rebel Soldie (CRS). The group's lone song, the Thom Yorke-sampling "US Placers," was an online hit last summer.
N.E.R.D. is expected to release its next album, "N.3.R.D.," in the first half of the year. One new song, "Everyone Nose," hit the Web last week. N.E.R.D. is also on the bill for the Isle of Wight Festival, set for June 13-15.
Additional reporting by Hillary Crosley.
West told Billboard last summer he was collaborating on the Glow in the Dark tour with Madonna choreographer Jamie King. Dates have yet to be announced. Contrary to the poor touring track record for major hip-hop stars, West has been a consistent box-office draw: His 2005 tour with Fantasia and Keyshia Cole grossed $8.4 million and drew more than 210,000 people to 46 shows reported to Billboard Boxscore.
"A lot of people want to be too cool onstage," he said when asked why hip-hop tours don't sell tickets. "I do an hour-and-a-half with no hype man, running around onstage. The touring can only get better because the longer a song's out, the more people get into it."
And with West, Fiasco and N.E.R.D.'s Pharrell Williams in the same venue, it would be reasonable to expect a performance from the trio's side project, Child Rebel Soldie (CRS). The group's lone song, the Thom Yorke-sampling "US Placers," was an online hit last summer.
N.E.R.D. is expected to release its next album, "N.3.R.D.," in the first half of the year. One new song, "Everyone Nose," hit the Web last week. N.E.R.D. is also on the bill for the Isle of Wight Festival, set for June 13-15.
Additional reporting by Hillary Crosley.
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