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Drake Chooses College Campuses Over A Stadium Circuit for National Tour

Drake is dedicated to the college fans that have continuously supported him throughout his rise to hip-hop stardom,he said in an interview with MTV News earlier this week.  Instead of opting for a large-scale, stadium-filling tour this winter and spring, he emphasized the importance of a campus-oriented tour.

The hip-hop star is set to tour after the release of his highly-anticipated sophomore album, Take Care. The new record, originally supposed to be released early next month, has been pushed back to a Nov. 15 release date. 

Due to this delay, the tour will now start in January.  Though disappointing for some fans, it is ideal for Drake’s goal of touring mainly college campuses.  

“I’m moving it to January when everybody’s back in school and so I can hit more places,” Drake said to MTV News. 

Drake will be supported by rap newcomers Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky. 

Photo Courtesy: musicisentropy (Flickr)

This decision to take Lamar and A$AP on tour over other members of his Young Money label have added to rumors that the hip-hop star is unhappy with his label. However, Drake denied these rumors in his MTV interview. 

“. . . I just sort of showcased the music that I happen to love right now, and those are the two guys that I’m bringing out,” Drake said. 

Despite any controversy, the tour promises to bring a big star and a big show to relatively small college venues. One such venue will be Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois where Drake told MTV News that he performed his first solo show in 2009.  

Drake told MTV that he didn’t plan to scale down his show just for smaller college venues either.

“I don’t want to disclose too much, but I know what people usually bring to colleges and I know that they usually try and scale it down when they go into college venues and I will probably do the opposite,” he said. 

Despite talk of label controversy and details of the tour itself, Drake emphasized the motivation behind why he “fought” for the college campus dates rather than the stadium shows. 

“I want to make sure I see those people who supported me from day one,” Drake said.

Main Photo Courtesy: eastscene (Flickr)

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