Rapper Drake has announced that he is taking a break from his music career, saying: "I need to focus on my health first and foremost."

Just hours after the release of his new album, For All The Dogs, the multi-Grammy winner said that he has had stomach issues for years.

"I probably won't make music for a little bit, I'm gonna be honest," he said on Friday on his radio show.

Several upcoming performances have been postponed following his announcement.

"I need to focus on my health, first and foremost — and I'll talk about that soon enough," said the Hotline Bling rapper.

"Nothing crazy, but just like, you know, I want people to be healthy in life, and I've been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach."

"I'm going to lock the door on the studio for a little bit," he said on his SiriusXM programme, Table For One. "I don't even know what a little bit is. Maybe a year or something. Maybe a little longer."

He later posted a clip from the radio programme on Instagram, telling his 143 million followers: "See ya when I see ya."

He is scheduled to perform concerts in Toronto, his hometown, on Friday and Saturday nights.

Shows scheduled for after then have been postponed, according to the tour section of his website.

He had been due to perform in Denver, New Orleans, Nashville and Columbus, Ohio.

Drake joins several musicians who have recently taken a break or cancelled tour dates, citing health issues.

In July, Madonna announced that she was pushing back her tour by three months after being taken to hospital with a serious bacterial infection the month earlier.

Last month, Bruce Springsteen announced that he was postponing his September tour dates due to a peptic ulcer, which is a type of sore in the stomach lining or small intestine.

Drake, 36, has become one of the hottest acts in hip-hop.

The cover of his latest album was drawn by his five-year-old son, who also features in the music video for the single track 8AM in Charlotte.

Earlier this year he published a book of poetry.