MTV reports that it was shaping up to be an epic battle between two of music's biggest heavyweights, with Kanye West — the Louis Vuitton Don, and the man we crowned the Hottest MC in the Game — standing in one corner, wearing the gold trunks and white Shutter Shades, ready to drop 808s & Heartbreak. And in the other: Axl Rose — sporting the black trunks, a Los Angeles Raiders jersey, red cornrows and a little album called Chinese Democracy.

Who will walk away with the championship belt? Chances are, it won't be 'Ye.

Fans are excited, critics and industry watchers look on with great anticipation, and even oddsmakers have jumped into the fray, casting Guns N' Roses as the favorite. But, at the 11th hour, GN'R are making things a bit interesting in this race toward Billboard's peak position. That's because Axl's got a secret weapon: the Eighth Day.

After years of false starts and broken promises, Geffen Records will finally issue Guns N' Roses' eagerly awaited album this coming Sunday, a day before West's latest hits stores. And a spokesperson for Geffen told MTV News that first-day sales figures for Chinese Democracy will not be reported to Nielsen SoundScan until November 30, the same day West's label will report his week-one sales.

Typically, albums are released in the U.S. on Tuesdays, and SoundScan tracks weekly sales data from Monday through Sunday, meaning that most albums' debut spots on the Billboard chart are based on six solid sales days. At first, most assumed day-one sales of Chinese Democracy — which took Rose more than 16 years to complete — would be reported next week and released the morning of November 26. But GN'R's label is holding off on releasing those sales figures until the following week, setting the stage for an extra boost in the chart standings announced on December 3.

West's only chance at a third consecutive #1 debut is the fact that Chinese Democracy will be available exclusively at Best Buy's Web site and stores, whereas 808s will be everywhere.

This is a different game from last fall, when Kanye and 50 Cent released solo albums on the very same day. After weeks of hype leading up to their showdown, West's Graduation pushed 957,000 copies, easily besting Curtis, which sold 691,000 copies in week one.

Before Geffen's plan was known, MTV News reached out to U.K. betting company Ladbrokes and online-gaming purveyors Bodog Entertainment to see which album they favor for a #1 opening. Despite West's immense popularity, the numerous leaks of Chinese Democracy over the years and GN'R's Best Buy deal, oddsmakers from both companies said Guns' LP has the best chance of scoring a chart-topping debut.

Read more here.

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