Jay-Z & Raekwon To Dominate W/ First Week-Sales

Based on one-day estimates, Hov's latest effort will debut at No. 1 with over 300,000 sold albums in its first week.

Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, the first release from his Roc Nation imprint through Atlantic Records, will debut at No. 1 with a total between 300 to 350k. The Beatles' stereo and mono box sets are selling out at Amazon and other online retailers. Next up on the debut list is IceH20's Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon with the sequel to his celebrated Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, distributed by EMI and should be good for 55-60k. (Hits Daily Double)

Hov's new album initially struggled with an online leak of the project nearly two weeks before its release.

"I may be the most bootlegged artist in history," he said in an interview after learning the news. "It's a preview. I'm excited for people to hear the album. I'm very proud of the work I've down, so enjoy it...My pager is actually ringing right now, so people are probably calling me and telling me they pretty much like it. I can tell by the way my pager rings if a song is good or not. It's really going crazy right now." (MTV)

Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 becomes the latest superstar album release to shuffle its release date, according to date changes on Amazon.com, Rhapsody.com and WEA's distribution Web site. The Roc Nation set, originally scheduled for release on Sept. 11, has been pushed forward to Sept. 8. The title was intended to drop on Sept. 11, on the eighth anniversary of the first Blueprint's release. Representatives for Jay-Z and Roc Nation could not be reached for comment at deadline. (Billboard)

Raekwon recently spoke with SOHH about linking with Diddy to host his album release party last night (September 8).

"My relationship with Diddy is fine, you know," Raekwon explained. "It always been cool, that brother, I got a lot of respect for him, just as being a business man, just as being a man you know? Whatever differences we had in the past, it was always dealt with accordingly like men and life goes on. We not here to dwell on the past, we trying to move forward and we been established that relationship fact already. There'd be times I'd see him in Miami, we throw bottles at each other, he threw bottles at me, it's just about growing up -- It was an honor for him to want to be a part of this because I told him, 'Yo man, you the mayor of the city, you our Mayor Bloomberg regardless of what and it'd be a honor if you could be a part of it.' Next thing you know, 'I'ma check my schedule' and it happened. And I felt real good 'cause this brother coulda said 'I need seven zero's' or five zero's but when it's true friendship in a situation of what we're dealing with far as growing up in this business, that's all a part of being a real dude." (SOHH)

Check out Jay-Z speaking on the new album below: