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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> NEW YORK (AP) — Lil Wayne is hoping his performance on the MTV Video Music Awards will be so good, fans will rush out and get his new album: The rapper is making it digitally available at midnight after Sunday’s show.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “Tha Carter IV” will be available on iTunes, Amazon.com and other digital outlets. The physical album will hit stores Aug. 29.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “Tha Carter IV” features collaborations with Drake, Cory Gunz, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes and others.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Lil Wayne says he’s making history.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> “I am extremely excited to be the first artist to utilize such an amazing idea. I hope that I can open the door for others,” he said in a statement Monday.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> The strategy is similar to that used by Jay-Z and Kanye West for their best-selling “Watch the Throne” collaboration, which was available exclusively on iTunes for several days before hitting physical retailers. It debuted at the top of the charts last week.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Lil Wayne’s Grammy-winning “Tha Carter III” was the best-selling album of 2008. He spent most of 2010 in a New York jail after pleading guilty to a weapons charge.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Lil Wayne is up for two VMA awards. The show is scheduled to air live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Lady Gaga, Adele and Chris Brown are also set to perform. Pitbull was just added to the lineup, and Jessie J will be in the house band for the night.
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> MTV said there will be no single host this year because it is experimenting with a “nontraditional format.”
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Online:
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“http://www.lilwayne-online.com/” target= “-blank”>http://www.lilwayne-online.com/
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“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;”> Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP’s music writer. Follow her at
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