Photo: WENN
Despite reports that Kanye West is still in the studio, his next album Yeezus is still expected to be released on Monday and is now predicted to sell 500,000 copies in its first week.
Sales forcasts are based on early orders from retailers, first-week performance of comparable albums and radio trends for an album's first single, amongst other things.
However, forecasts are not always true. In March, sources told Billboard that Justin Timberlake's comeback album, The 20/20 Experience, might sellf 500,00 in its first week.
That figure ended up being nearly double, with JT shifting 968,000 copies of 20/20, with the album performing much stronger than anticipated.
The difference with Yeezus though is that West hasn't released a promo single prior to the album's release, which is a big factor in determining sales forcasts and creating hype around a record. Can Kanye win this one on reputation alone?
West with girlfriend, Kim Kardashian
So far, Kanye has confirmed that huge names such as Daft Punk, Bon Iver, Rick Rubin, Chief Keef and TNGHT all feature on Yeezus, which is due for release on Monday 18 June.
West also debuted a number of new tracks from the LP at the Governor's Ball festival in New York at the weekend. See footage of him performing new material here.
Below: 10 cool alternative covers for Kanye West's sleeveless Yeezus album
