When Kanye West and Jay-Z  offhandedly announced on New Year’s Eve that “Watch The Throne,” their joint album would come out next week,  the fact that they were both drinking huge bottles of champagne at the time cast doubt on whether that was the alcohol talking, but now we have proof that 1-11-11 is the day for the release of the first single from the project.

Late Thursday evening (Jan. 6), West turned to his old friend, Twitter, to post what could be the cover art, which very clearly has a Jan. 11, 2011 date stamped across the top (although at the bottom, it says “Kayne/Jay-Z/Watch the Throne/Coming Soon.”

In the middle are the letters H*A*M, which we’re not sure what that means yet—perhaps it’s the title of the single. West’s followers on Twitter are falling over themselves trying to guess, with some suggesting “Hova and Me” or “Hungry About Money,” while a more cynical responder suggests it means “Hot.Ass.Mess.”   Britney Spears fans note that Jan. 11 is the same day Spears’ new single, “Hold It Against Me” will come out.

There were many reports early Thursday that the album would be out in March, leading further credence to the notion that we may just be getting a single on next Tuesday.  Plus, even though West may have moved on from “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” which came out less than two months ago and topped many “Best of 2010” lists,  we’re sure his label would like to have it live on briefly without new competition from West.

Of course, the two have worked together for more than a decade, starting with 2000's "This Can't Be Life." Popeater has a fun look at their history, including a very subjective list of their 11 best collaborations out of their more than 30 recordings together.

Are you ready for the full Kanye West/Jay-Z collaboration?