‘Rebirth’ would be better if never conceived

Lil Wayne

Rebirth

Cash Money Records

Rocks like: Kevin Rudolf, a mess

Grade: D

As if… Lil Wayne

Rebirth

Cash Money Records

Rocks like: Kevin Rudolf, a mess

Grade: D

As if being a critically acclaimed rap star wasn’t enough, renowned “Lollipop” aficionado Lil Wayne now apparently wants to be a rock star.

Unfortunately, no amount of Auto-Tune modifications and lazy guitar riffs can mask the rapper’s terrible career misstep.

It has been a rough road for Rebirth, Wayne’s seventh studio album. Originally slated for an April 7, 2009, release, the album suffered multiple release date changes before finally dropping in early February this year. No amount of gestation, however, would make this feeble attempt at rebranding any smoother.

As soon as the guitar begins to blare on opening track “American Star,” listeners realize this is not the Lil Wayne they used to know and love. The beats are mediocre and repetitive, and tracks sometimes sound like they were recorded under water. Worst of all, the rapper tried to sing, but his version of singing is merely using Auto-Tune to produce enough warbles and scoops to make Susan Boyle jealous.

“Paradice” is an especially embarrassing rap-ballad, and first single “Prom Queen” (released early last year) is a mess of terrible lyrics: “I loved her fancy underwear / I’d sit behind her every year” — and one of the worst excuses for a chorus I have heard in recent memory.

Not even the guest appearances on the album can salvage the disaster. Eminem phones in a verse on “Drop the World,” and the consistently annoying Nicki Minaj lends her lack of talent to the most radio-friendly song on the album, “Knockout.” Somehow, “Ground Zero” is the one track that manages to combine the rock star audio aesthetic with Wayne’s rapping ability to some degree of success. Still, it is a far cry from the artist’s best work.

Stick to rapping, Lil Wayne — your ability to bust a rhyme is “A Milli” times better than anything on this album.