Pitchfork

New Lil Wayne tracks keep arriving from all corners of the internet, and yet, none of them are Bad Ass Grasshopper tunes. But even without an appearance from Wayne's full-band incarnation, there is still a constant barrage of beats and outer space/food/sports metaphors coming from the New Orleans native's camp.

In recognition of his prodigious collection of leaked songs, Lil Wayne will release Tha Carter III: The Leak on December 18, according to an MTV.com report. The record is a preview of sorts for Tha Carter III, his still-forthcoming follow-up to Tha Carter II.

According to the report, Wayne has tentative plans to release the official III on February 12. The album is rumored to feature contributions from Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, and Timbaland.

As for the contents of The Leak, Wayne told MTV.com, "Every song that was leaked is coming out on December 18, and we have four new songs. The song 'Gossip' is gonna be the first single from that album. I'ma shoot the video for that in about a week."

He also said the songs on The Leak will be updated from their original bootlegged versions. "I'm a perfectionist. I'ma change a couple verses, couple of lines. I ain't gonna change nothing up where it fucks up the song; I'll just make it more complete. There are songs out there that weren't finished; I'll add hooks, third verses. We're working for the fans."

As also reported by MTV.com, Wayne appeared in an Atlanta court yesterday, October 31, in connection with the drug possession/fugitive charges that put him in jail in early October. It was only a brief arraignment, and Wayne will return to court November 20.

Lil Wayne currently has a few shows scheduled for the next few weeks, starting November 1 in Nashville.

Finally, Wayne actually withdrew from a previously reported project (a first?). He will no longer be the host of TheNext.tv's "Making the Next Hit!". Instead, those duties will fall to Jagged Edge.

Lil dates:

11-01 Nashville, TN - Tennessee State University
11-02 Winston-Salem, NC - Winston Salem State University
11-03 Tallahassee, FL - Florida A&M University
11-09 Louisville, KY - Louisville Gardens
11-17 Orlando, FL - XXX550