Though much of the 40-city itinerary remains a mystery, this fall's Jay-Z [ tickets ] and R. Kelly [ tickets ] co-headlining tour is beginning to take shape.

Cities and venues for a half-dozen October dates are confirmed, and a Sept. 30 kick-off in Chicago is planned, though a venue for that show was still pending at press time. Tickets for the October stops hit the box office on Saturday. Details are shown below.

Kelly is supporting a new, two-disc set titled "Happy People/U Saved Me," which hits stores on Tuesday (8/24). The singer has made headlines in recent months due more to his legal problems than to his musical talents; he faces charges of more than a dozen counts of child pornography in Illinois, and had to receive permission from a judge to set out on the tour. He reportedly also will have to make daily check-in calls to his probation officer while on the road.

In addition to his own catalog of hits, Kelly has written and/or produced for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Kelly Price, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and others.

Jay-Z continues to support last year's "The Black Album," which he has touted as is his final release. The set features "99 Problems," the video for which received a total of six nominations for this year's MTV Video Music Awards; the awards ceremony takes place on Sunday (8/29).