Tour news: Rap stars Drake, 2Chainz book in Auckland show

Drake bridges the gap between hip-hop and R&B.

Guys, start working on your fades - rapper Drake is planning his first New Zealand visit.

The Canadian star, known for spanning the gap between hip-hop and R&B, will perform at Auckland's Vector Arena on February 23 on a Monday night bill that also includes 2Chainz.

The 28-year-old is one of rap's biggest names, thanks to radio-busting singles like 2012's Take Care and last year's hits Hold On, We're Going Home and Started From the Bottom.

That song came from his acclaimed third album Nothing Was the Same, which TimeOut awarded four-and-a-half stars and called him a "Kanye West you could take home to meet your mum".

TimeOut praised the album's "breathtaking expanse of styles", including "low end sub bass thuds to Weeknd-style sex jams, stuttering trip-hop, soul-laced throwbacks and bedroom-based R&B ballads".

"It's his seemingly effortless timing - and his ability to switch between styles and pace at will - that really thrills," TimeOut wrote.

Drake is gearing up for the release of his fourth album, tentatively titled Views From the 6, and due for release next year. Last week he released three new songs because "hackers" had them.

"That wasn't an EP. Just 3 songs that I knew some hackers had. But enjoy! Back to this album," he tweeted.

Drake's also known for his many guest appearances - his latest, in the raunchy video for Nicki Minaj's Anaconda, raised eyebrows as he doesn't rap a word, but gets a lap dance from the pop star.

Accompanying Drake at his Auckland show will be 2Chainz, a rapper who has made his name by providing so many guest verses on other star's songs they've outshone his solo output, which has yielded two albums.

His most well known verses are on Jason Derulo's Talk Dirty To Me, Robin Thicke's Give It 2 U and Minaj's Beez in the Trap.

Tickets for the Drake and 2Chainz show go on sale at midday on November 10. A Frontier Touring pre-sale runs from 2pm, November 6 to 2pm the following day.

Drake & 2Chainz
February 23: Vector Arena, Auckland