Today In Pushed-Back Records: Wale Runs Off With Jay-Z, Shakira’s Bark Gets Muted, Diddy’s Train Is Still Not Running On Time

It’s time for another look at upcoming albums that have had their release dates pushed back, a condition that’s growing ever more chronic as the bottom seemingly falls out of the music industry. Today, we look at albums by Wale, Shakira, and Diddy that are allegedly coming soon, although not as soon as originally thought. Wale, Attention: Deficit Old date: Sept. 22. New date: Nov. 3. Official reason: He’s going on tour with Jay-Z (dates here), thus delaying his ability to participate in promotional duties. Real reason: Insert sorta-silly joke about distractions here. Shakira, She Wolf Old date: Oct. 13. New date: Nov. 17. Official reason: None given. Real reason: While beloved by this reporter, the goofy disco track “She Wolf” hasn’t exactly torn up the charts; it inched up to No. 11 on last week’s Hot 100—its ninth week on the chart—but tumbled to No. 21 (from No. 17) on the Hot 100 Airplay chart while holding steady at No. 9 on Hot Digital Tracks. Here’s hoping she doesn’t cover a big ’80s power ballad in order to goose her Q rating… Diddy, Last Train To Paris Old date: Nov. 24. New date: April 2010. Semi-official reason: “He’s holding off on releasing it until April. If he doesn’t renegotiate his contract, he might end up releasing it on Interscope,” someone told Page Six. Real reason: He’s waiting to see if he can be the last big artist ever to release an album in the CD era, thus securing himself a place in the history books.