Eminem has reportedly suspended the release of his new album Relapse until as late as next spring.

The Stan hitmaker announced last month that he was considering releasing his sixth Lp before the end of the year.

The project will mark the first record the rapper has put out since his greatest hits compilation in 2005, when the 35-year-old laid down his mic to concentrate on producing.

Eminem has insisted he can't wait to "get back out there" as he promotes his best-selling autobiography The Way I Am, which hit shelves in October.

But a source tells the New York Post the record could now be put back until next year, adding: "There was never a release date set."

Another source says, "Eminem has been through a lot. He is being a perfectionist and is completely obsessive-compulsive about this album. There's a 50-50 chance it will be done by the end of this year - but most likely it'll be the first quarter of next year... It's great."

A spokesperson for the rapper has declined to comment.