During an appearance on 'Live with Kelly and Ryan', the Oscar-winning rapper spills that he was able to do so in March since a planned Florida show was abruptly canceled due to the pandemic.

• Aug 10, 2020

AceShowbiz - Common seized the chance to throw one more party ahead of the coronavirus lockdown in March, but only because it was his birthday.

The Oscar-winning rapper was in Florida for a planned show before it was abruptly cancelled when the COVID crisis shuttered all live performances, and knowing life was about to change, he decided there was time for one last celebration.

"My birthday is March 13," he tells "Live with Kelly and Ryan", "so I was actually on a boat with all of my friends in Miami because a performance I had with Erykah Badu... got cancelled, so we were like, 'OK, let's just still enjoy this'."

"And we kind of knew in our minds this was going to be the last time we got to hang out for a little bit of time - we didn't know it would be that much time!" he laughs. "But we were like, 'We've got to have fun. I know the world is going a little bit haywire for a second but let's enjoy this time for a second...'"

He's been keeping his creative juices flowing, though in isolation - both remotely and in person.

"I've been writing in different ways, different poetry things that I'll be using, and honestly writing different shows that I'll be producing... but also songs. I just did a few features... and I did some stuff with The Roots."

"I got to go out to Dave Chappelle's (live comedy shows) in Yellow Springs (Ohio)... I actually got to create out there with a lot of artists and comedians that were out there. We did a live performance that was beautiful."

"So I've been in the creative space and I think this was a time for me to be still and listen but also express some things, and I think writing and being creative is always fulfilling to the soul."

And he's also found a soulmate in girlfriend Tiffany Haddish, going public with his new romance on the show.

"She's a wonderful woman, a queen, and just a beautiful person," he said. "Man, I just care for her a lot, enjoy her, and I'm grateful to have her in my life."