Common recently made the switch from his longtime label home Geffen Records to Warner Bros. Records, a move that he explained came almost two years after being released from the imprint. Speaking with MTV News, the Chicago, Illinois native explained that Warner CEO Lyor Cohen coaxed him to signing with his shingle with a phone call.

“Point blank, I got a call from [Warner CEO] Lyor Cohen,” he said. “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 decided to sign with Cohen and Warner since it was easier than going the independent route.

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“I felt like, man, it would be good because it’s so much … we do have a lot going on,” he continued. “I am doing these acting projects. I do have my foundation. I do have a daughter and a life, too. So it’s all these things I want to take care of, I felt like I didn’t want to have an independent label that I felt like you gotta be there for everything, every decision. I’d rather have a team that’s already in place that’s really confident in what I’m doing.”

Though he’s no longer with Geffen, he did claim that he’s still affiliated with G.O.O.D. Music, which recently became a subsidiary under Island Def Jam Music Group. His Warner debut, The Dreamer, The Believer, is due in November.

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[July 1]

UPDATE: According to XXLMag.com, Common’s The Dreamer, The Believer is slated to hit stores on November 22nd. The LP will be produced by No I.D. in its entirety.

[July 21]

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UPDATE #2: Common revealed via his Twitter page that his upcoming album, The Dreamer, The Believer, has been delayed to December 2011.

December 2011 RT @chicity721: @common what’s the due dat


e for the album?????
Oct 20 via TweetDeckFavoriteRetweetReply

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We had to move back a bit. Just a lil bit. RT @Halcyon_Fatou: @common Whatever happened to November 22nd? =/
Oct 20 via TweetDeckFavoriteRetweetReply

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[October 20]

UPDATE #3: During an interview with 104.5 WSNX’s The Morning After, Common revealed that his new album will release on December 20th.

“We just wanted to get all the singles out that we wanted to get out before the album comes, give it the right preparation time,” he said. “But we’re really charged about it. It’s looking really good.”

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