Kanye West's new album to debut Dec. 16?

homepage photo by Sean Edgar

Maybe Kanye West wasn't joking about his plans to release his fourth album by the end of the year after all. Stereogum is reporting that 808's & Heartbreak will hit stores Dec. 16, just in time for Christmas. West has not confirmed the news, as of yet. (Then again, he did just reportedly get arrested, so perhaps he's a little busy at the moment.)

Previously rumored to be titled Good Ass Job, not much is known about the album other than the appearance of lead single "Love Lockdown," which West debuted at MTV's Video Music Awards. The song caught many West fans offguard because it featured him singing throughout. That's right, singing (the final version will apparently be auto-tuned). Even for an artist known for continuing innovation, the departure came as quite a shock. But, all signs point to this being a direction West will continue to pursue. On his blog, he wrote that the song was written just a week and a half ago, and is his "favorite song to date." Again, no joke.

Since past West albums have seen collaborations with Chris Martin, John Mayer, Adam Levine and Jamie Foxx, fans can definitely expect some big-name guest stars. But no news has emerged past the release date. You can watch West's big performance at MTV's VMA website or visit West's website for a link to its MP3.

Related links:
News: New Kanye West, Jay-Z albums to drop in December?
Billboard: Retailers listing Kanye disc for December
KanyeUniverseCity.com Blog

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