Drake’s Kneew Injury Puts a Stop to Solo Tour Plans

Rising rapper DRAKE has been forced to pull out of plans to join mentor LIL WAYNE on tour, because his injured knee has failed to heal in time.
The hip-hop newcomer was expected to preview tracks from his highly-anticipated debut album Thank Me Later during his performances on the Young Money Presents: The America’s Most Wanted Music Festival trek. Drake had hoped to have recovered enough from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) to perform a 30-minute set, but the painful injury is still causing him problems – and, as a result, he has had to cancel his solo slot altogether. He tells MTV.com, “I’m not doing my own set. That’s one thing I have to apologise to my fans about. It’s too much of a risk, if I hit that wrong turn (doing) 30 minutes every night. If I tear my ACL again, the doctors say I might not be able to walk again. I have to be cautious.” The tour kicks off in Pennsylvania on Monday night (27 Jul 09) and Drake is determined to at least make an appearance onstage to collaborate with Lil Wayne – even if his doctors don’t approve. He adds, “I didn’t really get any approval from my doctor, but I made a personal decision 48 hours ago that I’d be letting a lot of people down if I didn’t show up and at least show them I’m there for them. “For the last two weeks, I’ve been really going hard, getting all types of acupuncture, trying to bring the swelling (in my knee) down. I’m walking around – no cane. I’ll put a brace on it. No one will probably even know I’m injured.”