Jay-Z [ tickets ] has moved up the release of his forthcoming new studio set, "The Blueprint 3," while announcing a fall North American tour in support of the album.

Originally scheduled to drop this Friday (9/11), "The Blueprint 3" hits stores today (9/8), pushing the set into the public gaze ahead of Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's Sept. 11 benefit appearance at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Following the concert--which will also serve as a 9/11 tribute, with proceeds going to New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund, a charity that benefits the families of fallen police, fire fighters and other first responders--Jay-Z will head overseas for a few dates before launching a North American outing Oct. 9 in University Park, PA. The 19-city trek stretches through late November.

Dates for the US and Canada portions of the outing are shown below; the rapper's international tour schedule is posted at his MySpace page.

"The Blueprint 3" is the Jay-Z's 11th studio album and final installment in his "Blueprint" trilogy, which began with 2001's "The Blueprint" and continued with 2002's "Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse."

The forthcoming set will be the first fruit of Carter's new management and recording deal with Live Nation, and the first release on the rap mogul's new Roc Nation label. Jay-Z bought out his existing contract with Def Jam Records to release the set on the new label, which has struck a distribution agreement with Atlantic Records.

Carter's previous studio effort, 2007's "American Gangster, debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, tying Elvis Presley for second place with 10 No. 1 albums (behind the Beatles at 19). The set, which was inspired by the 2007 Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe film of the same name, sold more than 400,000 copies during its first week in stores.