Backstage Pass

Kanye West, "Heartless"

Heartless from kwest on Vimeo

Nearly everything about the rollout of Kanye West's "808s and Heartbreaks" album has been unusual. Most albums are finished months before their release so that marketing plans can be developed and media gatekeepers can be wooed. But not Kanye.

His new album was finished early last month, after he unveiled the stark, AutoTuned first single "Love Lockdown," only days after it was completed, on the MTV Video Music Awards in September. The song was essentially released to radio and made available at iTunes simultaneously -- another rarity in music -- and it immediately shot to No. 3 in its first week on the strength of its sales before sliding out of the Top 10 as it waits for radio plays to lift it up again. Though these days it isn't unusual for songs to take months to build a radio presence, West isn't waiting. He's already released a second single "Heartless," which also has a Hype Williams-directed video (above) and is sure to debut high on next week's charts.

West has also moved up the release of "808s and Heartbreak" twice, from Dec. 16 to Nov. 25 and, earlier today, from Nov. 25 to Nov. 24. Though most album releases are on Tuesdays, Island Def Jam announced yesterday that it would move albums from West, The Killers and Ludacris up one day to take advantage of the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday sales. However, it may also be a way to get an extra day of sales against Guns 'n' Roses' long-awaited "Chinese Democracy" album, which is released exclusively at Best Buy on Nov. 23.