Drake, hip hop’s most hyped lyricist of the moment, will headline his first North American solo tour this spring.

According to his spokesperson, the Grammy Award nominated Lil Wayne-cohort will take fellow Canadian rapper K-OS and New York City based synth-pop band Francis & The Light out on ‘The Away From Home Tour,” starting April 5 in a city to be determined.

This marks the 23-year old’s first concert outing since tearing his ACL (knee ligament) while performing as part of Lil Wayne’s ‘Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted’ music festival last July.

He’s since had to endure knee surgery and undergo rehabiitiation and thereby took a brief hiatus from recording his eagerly anticipated debut album, which may finally see the light of day next month.

The upcoming 25-city tour is in tandem with The Campus Consciousness tour, hitting colleges & Universities across the country and promoting green technology. Not only will the former ‘Degrassi’ star’s tour bus use bio-diesel, but he’s also decided to adopt biodegradable and recyclable products on the bus and backstage.

Drake has also vowed to make his tour rider agreement more eco-friendly.

Note-worthy stops are planned for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as Bamboozle.

See below for a complete list of ‘The Away from Home’ tour dates.

‘The Away from Home’ Tour Dates:
4/6 Charleston, IL Eastern Illinois University
4/7 Columbus, OH Private Location
4/9 State College, PA Penn State University
4/10 Boston, MA Private Location
4/11 Lock Haven, PA Private Location
4/14 East Lansing, MI Michigan State University
4/15 Rochester Hills, MI Oakland University
4/16 Morgantown, WV West Virginia University
4/21 Orlando, FL University Central Florida
4/22 Greenville, SC Furman University
4/23 TBA
4/24 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
4/26 Kansas City, MO University of Missouri – Kansas City
4/27 Lexington, KY University of Kentucky
4/29 Lowell, MA University Mass Lowell
4/30 Syracuse, NY Private Location
5/01 Boston, MA Private Location
5/01 East Rutherford, NJ Bamboozle Festival
5/04 Worcester, MA Holy Cross
5/05 Towson, MD Towson University
5/06 Cheney, PA Cheyney University
5/07 Ithaca, NY Private Location
5/08 Plymouth, NH Private Location

There were a lot of amazing moments at this year’s Grammys, including the opening of the show when Gaga and Sir Elton John rocked the crowd.  However, via her twitter account, Gaga revealed a very special, intimate moment.  When she found out she won a grammy, while backstage, she burst out into tears. Check out her tweet about it and the photo.

It was a night of pure GRAMMY gold for R&B songstress Beyoncé, who picked up six wins, a record for a female artrist, at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, including Song Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Contemporary R&B Album. Country sensation Taylor Swift was the evening’s runner-up with an impressive four GRAMMY wins, including taking Album Of The Year for Fearless, besting Beyoncé.

Black Eyed Peas and Kings Of Leon won three GRAMMYs each, the latter picking up the coveted Record Of The Year for “Use Somebody.” Picking up two GRAMMYs each were Eminem, banjo maestro Béla Fleck, composer Michael Giacchino, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Jason Mraz, and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

And in an evening of spirited, sometimes joyous performances, the broadcast’s more reflective moments might have been its most memorable. Following a star-studded tribute to Michael Jackson, the King of Pop’s children appeared, brave-faced and in armbands, to accept an award on his behalf. Later, Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige sang a stirring duet of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to raise funds for earthquake-devastated Haiti.

BIG AL SAYS: NORMALLY I’M ALL HO-HUM, BUT THIS SHOW WAS GREAT…LOVED THE COLLABOS ON THIS SHOW. REALLY MADE IT FAN-FRIENDLY, NOT HOT AND STUFFY LIKE BEFORE. AND THE ARTISTS STEPPED THEIR PERFORMANCE GAME UP AND TOOK CHANCES.

BTW…WHERE WAS KANYE?!?!?

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS AND LOSERS, PEEP WWW.GRAMMY.COM

Alicia Keys had a lot to smile about on her 29th birthday Jan. 25: an engagement ring from her producer beau, Swizz Beatz!

A pal tells UsMagazine.com that Beatz, 31 (who is currently divorcing wife Mashonda), proposed with a 7-carat sparkler right before her big day; the happy couple were photographed strolling on a Hawaii beach the day of the proposal, Jan. 24.

Keys’ rep denies she is engaged, but another friend reveals, “They are currently in Hawaii celebrating the engagement and her birthday. She feels blessed.”

Adds the pal: “She is thrilled. She is with the man who has inspired so much of her music and her new album [The Element of Freedom].”

BIG AL SAYS: ISN’T SWIZZY STILL MARRIED TO HIS WIFE MASHONDA? AND WHAT HAPPENED TO A-KEYS’ BOYFRIEND “CRUCIAL”? CRAZIER AND CRAZIER?

Lauren Hill performing with Sly & Robbie in New Zealand at RAGAMUFFIN 2010 MUSIC FESTIVAL last night! Big Up to tumekeawa and  MsTwentyTen2010 on the video clip hookup!

BIG AL SAYS: I LOVE IT, SHE SOUNDS ROUGH AND RUGGED!! ‘BOUT TIME SHE POPPED OUT FOR A LOOK SEE…SHE NEEDS TO COME OUT TO SAC…AGAIN!! WE MISS YOU L-BOOGIE!

We hear the sexy singer has been paid $500,000 to provide the entertainment as partygoers at the Emirates Palace ring in 2010 and she’s been asked to not provocatively during the gig. Rihanna and her entourage are making all efforts to get her a dress that falls in line with local traditions, tipsters tell The Mirror.

“Rihanna is tearing her hair out over what to do she wanted to put on her most eccentric and provocative show yet. She knows that she’ll have to compromise her style to fit in with local traditions but a huge part of her show is her sexy stage gear.”

Abu Dhabi is the capital of, and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates.

Chris Brown is probably thanking his lucky marbles that other R&B singers and athletes are on the hot seat this week as he prepares for his upcoming  album release next week.  In the meantime, he is featured on the upcoming covers of both YRB and Vibe Magazines with the captions  “The Power of Redemption” and “R U Still Down”…

The big surprise in the Grammy nominations was the poor showing, at least in the marquee categories, of Kanye West. West’s first three albums were all finalists for Album of the Year, but his fourth release, 808s & Heartbreak, was passed over for that award. (It didn’t even get a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. West’s first three albums won as Best Rap Album, but this one was slotted in the pop field.)

West’s smash “Heartless” was also passed over for Record of the Year, despite covers by The Fray and Kris Allen, which boosted its profile. West clearly seems to have been hurt by his widely-criticized rudeness toward Swift at the Video Music Awards.

Here are the nominations in the top four categories, and selected other races:

Record of the Year: Beyonce’s “Halo,” Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling,” Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody,” Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.”

Album of the Year: Beyonce’s I Am…Sasha Fierce, Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D., Lady Gaga’s The Fame, Dave Matthews Band’s Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King, Taylor Swift’s Fearless.

Song of the Year: “Poker Face” (Lady Gaga and RedOne), “Pretty Wings” (Maxwell Musze and Hod David), “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” (Beyonce Knowles, Thaddis Harrell, Terius Nash and Christopher Stewart), “Use Somebody” (Kings Of Leon), “You Belong With Me” (Taylor Swift and Liz Rose).

Best New Artist: Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings.

Best Pop Vocal Album: Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D., Colbie Caillat’s Breakthrough, Kelly Clarkson’s All I Ever Wanted, The Fray’s The Fray, Pink’s Funhouse.

Best Electronic/Dance Album: The Crystal Method’s Divided By Night, David Guetta’s One Love, Lady Gaga’s The Fame, LMFAO’s Party Rock, Pet Shop Boys’ Yes.

Best R&B Album: Anthony Hamilton’s The Point Of It All, India.Arie’s Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics, Ledisi’s Turn Me Loose, Maxwell’s BLACKsummers’ Night, Charlie Wilson’s Uncle Charlie.

Best Contemporary R&B Album: Beyonce’s I Am…Sasha Fierce, Jamie Foxx’s Intuition, Pleasure P’s The Introduction Of Marcus Cooper, Trey Songz’s Ready, T-Pain’s Thr33 Ringz.

Best Rap Album: Common’s Universal Mind Control, Eminem’s Relapse, Flo Rida’s R.O.O.T.S., Mos Def’s The Ecstatic, Q-Tip’s The Renaissance.