Lil Boosie has kidney cancer

Rapper Lil Boosie is asking fans for their prayers after revealing he is battling cancer.

The hip-hop star, real name Torrence Hatch, has been struggling with diabetes for years and on Wednesday morning (25Nov15), he took to Instagram to share the news of his latest health crisis.

He posted a photo of himself sitting at a table and captioned it, "I need all my fans to pray for me Doctor just told me I have cancer on my kidneys prayer is power that's why I'm letting the world know prayfaboosie (sic)".

The Louisiana native subsequently removed the caption, but fans had already taken note and have since been flooding his page with messages of support and sympathy.

The 33 year old has been working to rebuild his career following his release from prison last year (14), when he completed a five-year sentence for drug charges.

His comeback tour earlier this year (15) didn't run smoothly - he had to cancel a show in Charlotte, North Carolina in February (15) after he was hospitalized for dehydration, while he also cut short a gig in New York in May (15) after falling ill after his insulin medication for diabetes was packed in luggage that failed to arrive in the Big Apple with him.