Kanye West has announced that his upcoming Def Jam album, “808s and Heartbreak,” has an official release date of Nov. 25.
The rapper broke the news Friday during a surprise appearance at T.I.’s MySpace-sponsored concert in Los Angeles.
“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.
The Nov. 25 street date for “Heartbreak” is nearly a month earlier than the original rumored release date of Dec. 16, which would’ve set up a second sales battle with 50 Cent’s new album, “Before I Self Destruct,” due one week later.
Last September, both men released new albums on the 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 United States, reports Billboard.
Information from Billboard.com contributed to this report.
