That record would probably still sound better than “Rebirth,’’ superstar rapper Lil Wayne’s attempt at becoming a rock star in actual practice - à la Keith Richards - instead of having the broader idea of the moniker bestowed on him as it is to anyone righteous enough to earn it.
Wayne, who heads to jail Tuesday to serve a yearlong sentence on a weapons possession charge, has apparently been reborn as several people, and they all dig really crummy rap-rock hybrids.
One minute he’s babbling about Obama - “My president is B-L-A-C-K!’’ (“American Star’’) - and the next he’s gleefully reveling in the comeuppance of a girl who snubbed him (the already fan-rejected “Prom Queen’’). He vows revenge on “Drop the World’’ - featuring a sharp Eminem - and brags about how hot his girlfriend is on “On Fire’’ (a song that oddly evokes “Fame’’ by Irene Cara).
As he lets out creaky platitudes about non-glittering gold in the umpteenth iteration on the “Welcome to the Jungle’’ theme, a wall of circa ’99 rap-rock sounds churn in the mix, and names like Korn, Evanescence, Linkin Park, and Lenny Kravitz bubble to mind. Wayne tries and fails to replicate Kravitz’s patented cracked yelp, ending up just sounding cracked.
The whole thing oozes, jitterbugs, and shoots out of the speakers as though it was written and recorded in one hazy, paranoid, bug-eyed night inside the bunk on his bus with a broken microphone and then filtered through the Tin Can Master 2000.
This being a record from an industry heavy hitter, there are a few decent beats that dance fans would be happy to bop along to on the dance floor, and Wayne manages some typically kooky couplets that wring a couple of laughs. But mostly it’s one long, mumbly rant that’s not much fun.
Wayne’s intentions would be admirable if it felt like he was genuinely trying to push the envelope and sow the seeds for some new, exciting hip-hop/rock hybrid. Unfortunately, “Rebirth’’ feels less like a stretch that Weezy put his whole heart - and rhyme skills - into than a lazy attempt at what he thinks it takes to be a credible rock star. Although plenty of folks make it look effortless, it requires more than attitude, guitar licks, and a few hazy rants to make the magic happen.
