Kanye West album slated for November

'808s and Heartbreak' originally was due Dec. 16

By Mariel Concepcion, Billboard

Oct 7, 2008, 01:34 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Kanye West made a surprise appearance at rapper T.I.'s MySpace-sponsored show in Los Angeles on Friday and announced his upcoming Def Jam album, "808s and Heartbreak," will arrive Nov. 25. It had been expected Dec. 16.

"We just finished the album. I just got back from Hawaii earlier today," he told the audience before breaking into a track titled "Heartless," which he confirmed is the set's second single. First single "Love Lockdown" has sold 402,000 digital downloads in just two weeks of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and debuted at a career-best No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

As previously reported, the original release date for "Heartbreak" would have put West a week behind 50 Cent's "Before I Self Destruct," a near-repeat of the 2007 battle between the two rappers.

Last year, both men released new albums on Sept. 11, with West's "Graduation" outselling 50's "Curtis" 957,000 to 691,000 in its debut week. "Graduation" has since sold 2.18 million copies in the U.S.

Kanye West album slated for November

'808s and Heartbreak' originally was due Dec. 16

By Mariel Concepcion, Billboard

Oct 7, 2008, 01:34 PM ET