FUSE TV - Common Releasing Music in Every Format Ever This Year

With the exception of a silly beef with Drake and a few guest appearances on other people's tracks, most notably Kanye West's Cruel Summer, Common had a quiet 2012. But the rapper emerged from his boho cocoon last night to make up for lost time, announcing on Jimmy Fallon a new EP, mixtape and album all within the next nine months.

 “I’m coming out with an EP at the end of this month that will be accompanying the movie LUV,” said the rapper. “And then I got a mixtape, my first mixtape I ever done in my life, will be coming out in April. And then an album in September.”

Common told Fallon that in addition to starring in the film, where he plays an ex-con trying to go straight, his production company Freedom Road will produce LUV, as well as the upcoming documentary Magic Men about two men training to become professional magicians.

Asked to describe LUV, Common said, "It's a coming of age story for an inner-city kid that actually goes out with his uncle for a day. His uncle wants to show him the good parts of life, but he ends up trying to be a man and shows him the good and the bad pretty much. It's really relevant to what's going on in an America with our young people. Actually taking father figures that may not be the proper father figure. They may have some good things to teach them but not everything is good."

As for the actual music, historically, rappers haven't been the most punctual when it comes to sticking to deadlines both label- and self-enforced. But we remain optimistic. It's nice to see Common finally embrace the mixtape, though, where we'll hopefully see the rapper rhyme over unlicensed samples and DJ drops every 30 seconds.