Rebirth, my first album review

Rebirth, the album review.


What many would consider an unimaginable next move, has been done. The follow-up to 2008’s Tha Carter III; the best-selling, chart topping, grammy-winning album that many critics believed to be the best album of the year out of any genre, is finally here. Rather than the logical mega-success follow-up album, Lil Wayne has done the unthinkable and released Rebirth, a “rock album,” and I use the term quite loosely. He announced that he would label it “rock” before anyone else could try and put a genre to it. And while it is commendable to persistently explore new avenues, it comes across as a severely misguided attempt. To say the least.

For something that is supposed to be a rock album, it is hard to find very many elements of rock anywhere. Although there are the painfully stereotypical guitar riffs, as well as punk inspired drumming courtesy of Travis Barker, there is nothing truly rock about it. Rebirth has drastic highs and lows, and is best described as an uneven collection; with brief moments of sheer genius and imagination that the world has come to expect from Lil Wayne.; the self-proclaimed “best rapper alive.” And let’s face it, there aren’t many who could argue against that claim.

Mixed with the occasional twinge of teen-angsty lyrics reminiscent of early Blink-182 days, the record fails to fully deliver the hype that was created by the constant pushing back of the release date. True fans will delight in the small glimpses of Lil Wayne’s braggadocious nature and witty wordplay, and find comfort in the sound that makes him have one of the most recognizable voices in hip-hop. One of the standout tracks, “Drop The World”, is an example of the quintessential Lil Wayne monster hit single, of epic proportion when paired with the quick stylings of Eminem. Mr. Carter delivers wisdom in the line “Confidence is a stain they can’t wipe off,” and leaves listeners craving more equally quotable sentiments. His smooth and steadily paced first verse starts off slow, but builds up and smashes with a chorus that yells “Bitch, I’ma pick the world up and I’m gonna drop it on your fucking head.” As if lines like that weren’t enough of an attention grabber, Eminem shows his incredible emcee skills have not diminished, rapping at outstanding speeds and with unbelievable clarity.

Despite the obvious hit status of “Drop The World,” I would argue that “On Fire” stands out from the crowd as the best attempt on the album. Wayne successfully blends the obvious use of a rock band with his ever-impressive rapping chops, as well as the occasional thumping bass. From the first 10 seconds, a teaser of what appears to be some sort of 80’s theme song, it fades into the perfect rock/rap crossbreed. His distinctive voice seems to have found its place on this album, and brings me back to Tha Carter II days. With plenty of guitar parts taking center stage, the song consistently delivers up to the very end.

Other success on the album include: “One Way Trip,” featuring Kevin Rudolf, “Knockout,” a track with Nicki Minaj that will soon be your guilty pleasure, and “Paradice,” the tale of someone who has achieved all of their dreams only to realize it wasn’t all they expected it to be. The lyrical content of this song is a surprising thought coming from a man known for constantly bragging about his extravagant lifestyle, and a comforting bit of humbleness. Despite its high school subject matter, “Prom Queen” provided a good preview of the album when it was released as the first single over a year ago. Everything other than the aforementioned tracks, however, proved to be either full of incoherent, Limp Bizkit style yell-rapping, lacking imagination or creativity, or just plain boring and containing all the expected stereotypical elements of any sub-par rock album.

Even with Rebirth’s crushing lows, it was not a complete failure by any means. With his willingness to devote so much time perfecting a new craft, Lil Wayne has shown why he will continue to be an unstoppable force in the music industry. In a more ideological than critical mindset, Rebirth still comes across as a win. Thanks to his ever impressive productivity rate, the simultaneous release of No Ceilings affirms his sharp rapping skills are still in place and as good as ever, and after his release from jail, I would even look forward to another go at this whole rock album thing. But for now, the world will continue to wait, salivating at the thought of Tha Carter IV, which is scheduled for release next year. Plain and simple, Lil Wayne’s unmatched talent is not going anywhere anytime soon.