The Touch The Sky Tour will span most of the U.S. and Canada over two months beginning October 11 at the University of Miami’s Convocation Center.

Accompanying the rapper/producer will be fellow Chicago legend Common – whose newest album, Be, was produced by West – along with “American Idol” champ Fantasia and up-and-coming R&B singer Keyshia Cole.

“Performing live is the reason why we make this music, spend so much time and thought and craft on it,” West said. “It’s never been about the critics or the album sales. It’s about the fans, and I love having the opportunity to bring this music – that I’ve poured my heart and soul into – to them.

“I think about how audiences are going to respond to hooks and intros and certain lines when I’m in the studio recording. Bringing these songs to the stage is the ultimate fulfillment of the creative process.”

True to his word, Kanye doesn’t hold back when he hits the road. He embarked on his first major headlining tour in spring 2004, and the trek lasted a full three months. He hit radio shows in the summer and opened for Usher later in the year.

Don’t expect to see him in any support slots from now on, though.

This fall’s tour runs through the South and Midwest, up the East Coast and back again before hitting the West Coast in December. Dual nights are planned for Los Angeles’ Universal Amphitheatre – as well as New York City’s Madison Square Garden – and the journey will conclude at Vancouver, B.C.’s GM Place December 11.

West’s sophomore effort, Late Registration, sold a whopping 860,000 copies in its first week – an unprecedented feat for the venerable Def Jam Recordings.

Sure, his lambasting of the president and his recent Time Magazine have helped drum up publicity, but so have the popular singles “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” and “Gold Digger.” Radio and the Web have been buzzing with both tracks all summer, and the latter topped the charts upon its release.