Nas moves new album back two weeks

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Rapper Nas' new album has shifted on the release schedule yet again, this time moving from July 1 to July 15.

In May, the rapper dropped the Def Jam disc's original title, "N*gger," and reclassified the album as an untitled project.

On the first official track from the album, "Hero," Nas explains that he dropped the original controversial title so that the album's message could better reach his fans.

Nas' previous album, 2006's "Hip-Hop Is Dead," has sold 758,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Reuters/Billboard