Sad news from a sad rapper: Drake officially canceled his Nov. 15 show at the Patriot Center this afternoon "due to scheduling conflicts," according to a Live Nation press release. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.
The writing was on the blogspot, with the Toronto rapper taking to his October's Very Own blog to explain both pushing back "Take Care," his sophomore album (from his 25th birthday, Oct. 24 to Nov. 15 due to sample-clearance issues) and postponing the subsequent Club Paradise tour (it will now take place in early 2012, so "students are back from the Christmas/New Year break"). No word on if the Patriot Center will be the chosen destination again.
Let's hope Drake sticks to the support he first chose — Compton, Calif.'s Kendrick Lamar and Harlem, N.Y.'s A$AP Rocky, two of the most arresting young rappers not named Drake. The tour gets its name from this excellent rumination from Toronto's golden child. No word on if that song is on "Take Care's" final tracklisting, but "Headlines" is, and you can watch its video below.
(Not to get all Drake fanboyish, but "Headlines" is one of the best songs and videos of the year, so if you haven't seen it, do it now. It's a love letter to his hometown, but it's also Rapper Stunting 101, climaxing in the Rogers Centre's retractable roof being dropped as Drake stands tall under it.)