Dates: May-Aug.
Support: Francis & the Lights, Mike Posner
Ticket prices: $40-$45 (Purchase tickets here)
Most rappers don’t dedicate time to building a strong touring fan base. But even before the June 15 release of his debut full-length album, “Thank Me Later,” Toronto MC Drake has already cut his teeth on the road alongside Lil Wayne and headlined his own 20-plus-date college tour. Drake made a name for himself last year with the mega-popular mixtape “So Far Gone,” and the buzz hasn’t subsided.
Outlook: Between May and August, Drake will play about 20 club concerts, 10 radio show events and several music festivals, according to the artist’s business manager Shawn Gee. “We definitely could’ve gone into bigger venues,” he says. “A lot of these shows are already sold out.” But instead of skipping steps, Gee and ICM booking agent Robert Gibbs have laid out a plan to gradually develop the rapper’s live show. “On Drake’s second album, we want to end up in arenas,” Gee says. Expect a theater tour this fall.
