Lil Wayne's Rebirth: A Valiant (but Poor) Effort

Clicking below will lead you to a rambling review of Lil Wayne's (not all that new) rock album, Rebirth. Don't bother clicking if you have no interest in rock, rap, rock/rap fusion, or strange, drugged-out New Orleaners. Otherwise, click the link to read more!

If you're like me, you like rock/rap fusion (as a concept) but dislike most of the actual music. The rock/rap fusion genre is one which lacks support, like most other fusion genres. Bands like Flobots and Gym Class Heroes have made some headway in their attempt to combine the alternative rock sound and sensibility with hip-hop style vocals. Linkin Park mostly just shouted and made a lot of noise, but Fort Minor tried to bring something more reasonable to all of their all-too-obvious anguish. However, apart from the odd single (or mash-up album, like Collision Course), rock/rap is missing one thing: influence from a major rap star.

Enter Lil Wayne and his rock debut album, Rebirth. A highly anticipated album (at least, until Wayne revealed that it would not be rap), Rebirth sold well and was promptly destroyed by critics everywhere, and with good reason! Rebirth is a great concept, but Wayne was obviously influenced by the very worst of both rock and rap when making it.

The Singles

Before I can continue whining about the album as a whole, I have to talk about the singles. First up is "Prom Queen," released as a single over a year before the album was actually released. "Prom Queen" is a high school failed romance ballad, done up with heavy rock instrumentation and Wayne's auto-tuned whining vocals. This combination seems like it should result in an absolute cacophony, a single which wallows in the dregs of both genres.

It does just that.

"Prom Queen" is one of the worst songs I have ever heard, and not just because I can't stand Wayne's self-pitying squeaks (with or without auto-tuning, I imagine). The music itself isn't terrible, it just isn't anything earth-shattering. That would be fine, if Wayne's lyrics or vocals offered anything. They don't.

Next came "On Fire," which I must admit that I almost like. It has a retro synth-rock feel to it, but updated with a crunk rap sort of beat. It has all breaks in all of the right places (and in some of the wrong places) and samples of Amy Holland's "She's on Fire." Unfortunately, the rest of it is pretty boring. It's not bad, per se, just uninteresting. As with many songs on this album, it might have been better with less of Wayne's "sangin'."

Finally, we have "Drop the World," featuring Eminem. This is genuinely a good song, largely because it doesn't sound like anything else on the album. It features Wayne and Eminem rapping defiantly over a chill, rockish beat. It's tastefully done, shows off some of Wayne's more coherent verses, and brings Eminem in for a very satisfying finish. This was the only song released as a single that was truly worthy of the title.

The Album

Now that we've talked about the singles, let's talk about the album as a whole. Most of the songs, unfortunately, follow the general templates above; decent samples, fairly good instrumentation, poorly produced and poorly written. On top of that, Wayne spends too much time trying to be a rock vocalist and not enough time being a rapper. Out of the whole album, only "Drop the World" really stands out, and "Runnin'" (featuring Shanell, sister of R&B star D. Woods) comes in at a close second. Shanell really shows off in a big way on "Runnin'," and she's worthy of the spotlight in the chorus. The song itself is fairly trite, but well performed by everyone involved.

The mix of the album is absolutely dreadful. The most classic orientation of a mix is the "rise-fall" orientation, where an album starts softer, builds to a climax, then falls again. Minor variations in this theme can keep albums interesting but still provide a satisfying experience overall. Wayne decided to turn both the rock and rap genres on their heads by doing the same to the mix of his album. Rather than rising and then falling, the album falls from "American Star" and "Prom Queen" to "Drop the World" and "Runnin'," then builds back up again.

While talking with a friend about this album, we agreed that "Drop the World" was worthy of accolade, and he commented that it was "the best conclusion to a rock album I've heard in recent memory." And his statement would be true, if "Drop the World" concluded the album. But it does not. It is placed dead-center.

The Conclusion

Now that I've given this album a thorough thrashing, I think it's time that I emphasize just how much I like this idea. Lil Wayne was making a bold move by releasing Rebirth, and I would argue that it was a good one. I've made no secret of my love for this particular brand of fusion, and the hope of snaring a legitimate rap idol to experiment in the rock genre is extremely exciting to me. The fact that it sucked notwithstanding, I would urge Lil Wayne to try again.

So if you're reading this, Wayne, find a good rock producer (I like Trent Reznor, but as you apparently have a tendency to whine, I would find someone a little angrier, like Manson), focus your lyrics, and look for inspiration somewhere outside of the likes of Simple Plan and My Chemical Romance. Other rappers, if you're listening and have an inclination to rock music, throw your hat in. What's the worst that could happen, you put out a bad album? It didn't stop Wayne (okay, maybe he's a bad role model).

See you next year, Wayne!