Kanye West hospitalised 'for his own health and safety' after tour cancellation

Kanye West is under observation in a Los Angeles hospital, US media reports, following the abrupt cancellation of his national tour and a bizarre on-stage concert rant.

The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call of a "disturbance" at about 1.20pm PST (8.20am AEDT). Upon arrival, authorities discovered a "medical emergency," and West was transferred to the hospital by paramedics.

NBC News and TMZ both cited sources saying that West was being evaluated in hospital, with TMZ reporting he was taken to UCLA Medical Center.

The decision to hospitalise West was for his own health and safety, sources told NBC News.

The rap superstar pulled the plug on his North American tour overnight, two days after a rambling onstage tirade against fellow artists Jay Z and Beyonce.

The "Saint Pablo Tour" was set to run through December 31, but all 21 remaining shows are cancelled and ticket-holders have been contacted about refunds, a spokeswoman for promoter Live Nation told AFP.

West, who is married to reality-TV queen Kim Kardashian, has not made any personal statement on the cancellation and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

TMZ quoted an unnamed source saying the rapper was pulling out because he was exhausted.

"He's been working around the clock on fashion design, both his own line and the Adidas line," the source was quoted as saying.