After announcing that he signed with Warner Bros. last week, Common opened up to MTV News about him being a free agent since December 2009 and how Lyor Cohen approached him about joining the label.
Alvin Blanco says:
The rapper and actor, currently shooting an AMC television series called “Hell on Wheels” that will premiere in the fall, released his last album,Universal Mind Control, in December 2008. The album was met with mixed reviews and didn’t reach the same gold sales of his previous two projects, the critically acclaimed Be and Finding Forever.
But a certain record executive didn’t lose faith in the veteran rap lyricist. “Point blank, I got a call from [Warner CEO] Lyor Cohen,” Common told MTV News. “He was like, ‘Look, man, I know who you are. I always told you, you was one of my favorite MCs, and I really meant that.’
“I felt the sincerity in what he was saying. He didn’t tell me, ‘We’re going to do this, do that.’ He was more like, ‘I know how we can do your record, and I want to work this. I want this to be on my roster.’ “
Com’s new album, The Dreamer, The Believer is due out in November. Be sure to read the rest of the article here.