Lil Wayne to Release Digital Album After MTV VMAs

6:26 AM PDT 8/22/2011 by Lindsay Powers

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Tha Carter IV hits iTunes and Amazon.com at midnight on Aug. 29, and later that day in stores nationwide.

Lil Wayne is releasing his next album digitally at midnight on Aug. 29 -- hours after he performs at the MTV Video Music Awards.

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Tha Carter IV will be sold on Amazon.com, iTunes and elsewhere online midnight, and then later in stores that same day.

“I am extremely excited to be the first artist to utilize such an amazing idea. I hope that I can open the door for others,” he said in a statement Monday of his album, which features collaborations with Drake, Busta Rhymes, Cory Gunz and Rick Ross.

It's Lil Wayne's first album since he was released in jail on a weapons charge. Lil Wayne's last take, Tha Carter III, was the best-selling album of 2008.

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The rapper is nominated for two VMAs. The show airs live from L.A.'s Nokia Theater on Aug. 28.

Jay-Z and Kanye West recently released their Watch the Throne on iTunes for several days before it was available in stores, causing outcry among independent retailers. It topped iTunes charts in 23 countries, and hit No. 1 on Billboard last week.