Drake a no-show for '$250,000 club appearance' in Abu Dhabi

Rapper Drake reportedly left fans disappointed after he didn't show up for a gig in Abu Dhabi.

The Hotline Bling hitmaker was reportedly paid upfront for an appearance at pop-up nightclub, VIP ROOM in the Gulf state on Saturday night (26Nov16).

A tweet was sent out from the official VIP ROOM Dubai Twitter account on Saturday, announcing that Drake would be making an appearance, "TODAY is THE day!! @Drake at #VIPROOMABUDHABI !!!"

However, according to British newspaper The Daily Mirror, fans waited until 5am but Drake never materialized, despite posting a picture of himself on Instagram posing in the city's luxurious Emirates Palace hotel on Sunday (27Nov).

A source claimed to the publication: "His management had an argument with the management of Abu Dhabi pop-up nightclub VIP ROOM last night and he didn't turn up for an appearance that he'd been paid $250,000 for.

"Fans waited until 5am for him and he never showed up," added the source. "DJ Bliss, the most famous DJ in the Middle East, had to play all night as Drake was a no show."

However, a representative for the event disputed allegations of an argument, and told the publication that the musician's no-show was due to concerns over safety after larger than expected numbers of fans turned up for the Jumpman rapper's appearance.

"Due to Drake's overwhelming popularity the sheer number of people that turned up outside of VIP Room made it completely unsafe for Drake to even enter the venue in the end so he was unable to perform," explained the representative.

On Sunday the rapper was also scheduled to host a party with on/off girlfriend Rihanna's brother Gallest, an aspiring rapper, real name Rorrey Fenty.

Rihanna was also in the United Arab Emirates to close out the Formula 1 racing weekend with an appearance at du Arena, as part of the Yasalam post-race concert series, her only Middle East date on her Anti World Tour.

Drake's representative declined to comment when contacted by the news outlet.