Eminem New CD Encore

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Eminem's "Encore" All Set

Eminem is ready for an Encore.

The rap superstar will release his long-awaited fourth album, Encore, on Nov. 16, announced Interscope Records.

Eminem's last official studio effort was 2002's The Eminem Show, which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and went on to sell 9.2 million copies in the U.S. and more than 19 million copies worldwide. It won two Grammys, including Best Rap Album, and spawned the smash singles "Without Me" and "Cleaning Out My Closet."

He followed that up with the mega-selling soundtrack to his hit movie, 8 Mile, which moved 9 million copies worldwide and included his hard-charging rap hit "Lose Yourself"--a track that spent 12 weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100 and garnered him the Oscar for Best Song and two more Grammys, for Best Rap Song and Best Male Rap Performance.

More recently, he reteamed with his Detroit rap crew D12 for D12 World, which hit stores in April and has since racked up 3 million in worldwide sales.

Interscope did not disclose details regarding the specific tracks for Encore--or vitually anything else (guest rappers, first single, etc.) about the disc--in the five-sentence press release announcing the album.

But Billboard reports the disc will hit stores about the same time two other projects by Eminem come out--a compilation of unreleased Tupac tracks that Slim Shady helped produce and a remix of the country song "Lean Back," on which he contributed a verse.

If recent history is any indication, the November date might not be be set in stone. Interscope and Eminem decided to move the drop date of The Eminem Show up nine days--with the album debuting on a Sunday, instead of the typical Tuesday--after it was leaked to file-sharing sites. To combat piracy, and potential lost revenue, the label would surely pull an encore if Encore wound up online.

Even then, industry analysts predict such leaks will hardly put a dent in the album's first-week sales.

"If there's ever an album that can break a million in the digital age, it's this guy," says David Adelson, editor of Hits magazine and E! News Live's music correspondent. "Even with an Internet leak…I think the record's gong to be a smash."

For most of 2004, Eminem's avoided the spotlight, content to work on new songs in his Detroit studio and spending time with daughter Hailie Jade. He did turn up at last June's MTV Movie Awards to perform with D12 and bare his butt for the camera--a shot the network subsequently edited out the shot for broadcast in the wake of Boobgate.

Adelson says that by making himself scarce, Eminem only stokes more interest in what he's going to do next.

"He's smart. He plays it right and disappears for a long time," Adelson says. "The D12 thing was good for him. It was a one-off. He took care of his band, made fun of himself, put out the single, and then went away."

But that doesn't mean Em's been slacking.

Eminem teamed up with Sirius Satellite Radio in July to launch an "uncut" 24-hour hip-hop music channel. The controversial rapper plans to emcee some shows on the music station, plug acts from his Shady Records and offer some exclusive tracks of his own. The channel debuts in the fall.