Drake Cancels Grammy Nominations Concert Appearance
Drake has canceled his spot on the Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!, which CBS will broadcast live at 10 p.m. EST tonight, due to an unspecified “scheduling complications,” according to TMZ. Drake’s rep reportedly told the site that the rapper is “currently in the middle of his nationwide ‘Would You Like A Tour?’ tour and sincerely apologizes to his fans that he can’t be there.” The producers of the Grammy show had first announced his involvement in early October – a few months after Drake was was doing shots out of a Grammy trophy – and the rapper’s touring itinerary shows nothing between his Wednesday gig in Tacoma, Washington, and tomorrow’s concert in Kansas City, Missouri. Drake’s rep declined to offer TMZ any more insight on why Drake cannot make it to the show.
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Before it even began, Drake’s tour had been plagued with difficulties. Although he announced the trek in June, he postponed every date due to his rehearsal schedule and technical production requirements. Then reports came out that Drake had fired opening artist Future over comments the latter made about Drake’s latest record; Future and Drake settled their differences the day before the first date of the trek. Drake then canceled the second date of the tour an hour before show time, citing an “unexpected technical issue.”
Even without Drake, tonight’s Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! has a wealth of talent. Yesterday, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry joined the roster, though they won’t be among the other acts at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. Perry will be performing in Canada, while Swift will be in Australia. Other performers, who will be in Los Angeles for the show, include Lorde, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Keith Urban and Robin Thicke. The latter is set to perform with T.I. and members of Earth, Wind and Fire. R&B singer Miguel is scheduled to perform with Keith Urban. Two-time Grammy host LL Cool J will host the event, which will also feature appearances by Arsenio Hall, Enrique Iglesias and Ed Sheeran.
The 56th Grammy Awards will take place in L.A. and air live on CBS on January 26th, 2014, at 8 p.m. EST. Two nights prior to the event, the Grammys are set to honor Carole King, whom they’ve named the MusiCares 2014 Person of the Year.