Kanye West welcomed the upcoming chart battle with 50 Cent at a 'secret' gig last night, according to reports.
The rap superstar previewed his imminent third album at Westminster Central Hall in London, a month ahead of the release of "Graduation".
From the stage Kanye told the audience, which included competition winners and guests, that he was pleased to be going head-to-head with Fiddy's new record "Curtis".
He explained: "It's a good thing that 50 Cent and me are coming out on the same dates. I think we both up'd our games because of it.
"Hip hop is so sparse, people are just dropping albums aimlessly", West explained, 48 hours after topping the UK singles chart with comeback "Stronger".
Meanwhile, he has also confirmed details of an autumn tour of the UK.
The dates are as follows:
November 2007
21 London, Hammersmith Apollo
24 Brighton, Brighton Centre
25 Bournemouth, Bournemouth International Centre
27 Cardiff, Cardiff International Arena
28 Plymouth, Plymouth Pavilions
December
04 Manchester, Apollo
05 Newcastle, Carling Academy
06 Glasgow, Carling Academy
09 Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
50 Cent releases "Curtis" and Kanye West "Graduation" on September 11.
