THE
MARKET: Will Kanye West’s upcoming album debut at No. 1 in the Billboard 200? If it does, shares are worth $100. If it doesn’t, shares are worth $0. The album will be released on September. Trading closes at 11:59 p.m. September 16. The market will be cleared when Billboard releases new charts on September 20.

THE LOWDOWN: The stage is set for the music smackdown of the year, as Kanye West’s third release “Graduation Day” goes head-to-head with 50 Cent’s “Curtis” on September 11. Kanye is trying to play down the simultaneous releases as some sort of competition, saying “You’re gonna get a lot of good music at the same time.” Nevertheless Kanye is rolling out the big guns, with the new album featuring collaborations with T-Pain, Daft Punk, Mos Def, and Chris Martin of Coldplay. Will the more mainstream Kanye take the Billboard top spot – or will Fitty’s street cred win out?

THE PR: Given that he was the subject of a long feature from international news agency Reuters a full month before “Graduation Day” drops, it’s safe to say this album will be as publicized as possible. Not satisfied, Kanye had to stir things up by recently brushing of 50 Cent and claiming that Justin Timberlake is his only real competition. Let the smack talk begin.


LEARN MORE:

Visit Kanye West’s home page.

See Kanye West’s Billboard chart history.



KANYE WEST CONTENT ON YOUTUBE: