Eminem Album Rumors: Rapper Could Drop New Album July 2

Eminem is said to be finishing up work on his yet-untitled eighth studio album, according to the Huffington Post. The album could drop as early as July 2. If so, the rapper may be trying out his new material in Europe, as he is booked to perform dates from August 15-22 before heading to the UK to headline this year's Reading and Leeds Festivals over the weekend August 23-25.

Dr. Dre, the producer and rapper who signed Eminem to his entertainment label and has continued to work with the rapper since then, recently told the radio station Power 106 that Eminem was finishing up his album. Aftermath Entertainment, part of the Shady Records-Aftermath Entertainment joint venture which releases Eminem's albums, indicated on Facebook earlier this month that a new Eminem album is coming soon. Radio station Channel 955 in Detroit, the rapper's hometown, gave July 2 as the release date, though the date has not yet been confirmed by Eminem's management team.

Rumors were first sparked by a snapback hat put out by the rapper's merchandise store. The Eminem Tribute Baseball Champ Hat displayed a prominent backwards letter E in a design similar to the letter D serving as the baseball Detroit Tigers' logo. The side of the hat featured engravings of the years in which Eminem has released albums -- a list of years which notably included 2013.

Back in February, Paul Rosenberg, the president of Shady Records, was asked about a new release from Eminem in an interview with Billboard magazine. "We fully expect to be releasing a new Eminem album in 2013. He's been working on it for some time," Rosenberg said. "It's safe to say that it will be post-Memorial Day at some point, but we're not exactly sure when. We've got some dates locked in for him to perform live in Europe in August, so we're trying to see what else lines up."

If rumors are to be believed, Eminem's tour dates may include Tyler the Creator and Kendrick Lamar, with tour dates being expanded into a full tour, with US dates tacked onto the European and UK engagements.

In calling into Power 106 to confirm Eminem's album plans, Dr. Dre was asked about progress on his own long-awaited project "Detox." Dr. Dre deferred, saying only that he'd recently been inspired to get back into the studio. His label released protégé Kendrick Lamar's first album "good kid, m.A.A.d city" only a few months ago. The project has been widely received as a classic.