The wait for Jay-Z’s much-hyped new album will be over sooner than expected thanks to an Internet leak, according to NME.com.

The Blueprint 3 will now be released tomorrow (Sept. 8), three days earlier than plan. This will mark Hova’s third album following his alleged retirement in 2003 and the third instalment in his critically-revered Blueprint series. The Sept. 11 release was originally planned to fall eight years to the day following the 2001 release of Blueprint.

Despite being overshadowed by the 9/11 attacks, Blueprint still sold 426,000 copies in its first week and has since been named a must-have album by nearly every music critic out there. It even squeezed into Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list at #464.

The online leak of the much-awaited Blueprint 3 was a minor hitch in Jay’s plan.

“I may be the most bootlegged artist in history,” he told MTV News. “It’s a preview. I’m excited for people to hear the album. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done, so enjoy it.”

The album, produced by Kanye West, will feature the already chart-topping single “Run This Town” with West and Rihanna. It hit number one in the UK Singles Chart this week, marking Jay’s first UK single in the top spot, according to MTV UK. Clearly he has won over the oft-pop-dominated UK music world, as he is scheduled to support Coldplay at their Wembley Stadium show later this month.

A North American tour has also been announced in support of the album, including an impressive road trip through the Great White North. Aside from the mandatory stops in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Jay will play shows in Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, London, and Ottawa (much to my delight.) No details about supporting acts have been released, although rumours flew about Eminem joining him on the road.

As unlikely as that roster would be, Jay does have a show scheduled for Sept. 11 at Madison Square Garden in NYC as a charity event for New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund. Jay’s retirement concert at MSG in 2003 was a historical affair, in support of another of his acclaimed albums, The Black Album, and featuring every special guest from The Roots (his frequently employed backup band), Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, Pharrell Williams to the mothers of both Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.

In his 40th year, Jay has a vice-like handle on the rap game and his plans for this fall only attest to it. Stay tuned to see how it pans out.

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