Lil Wayne Channels John Hughes Teen Flicks In "Prom Queen" Video

Above is "Prom Queen," the first video from Lil Wayne's upcoming rap-rock record Rebirth. The song, like the video, tells the story of a school's prom queen who thwarted Weezy back in the day, but now that he's a big rapper she totally wants him. The video starts out like a John Hughes film, and it's fun to count the 1980s high school movie clichés — pining for the girl across the aisle from you in class? Check. Drama in the lunchroom? See: Better Off Dead and Just One of the Guys. A prom: Every teen film ever.

By the second verse, however, the video takes a dramatic turn and turns into a tale of "look at me now," as after high school the prom queen has a baby and struggles through an ordinary life while Weezy ascends to multiplatinum and Grammy-winning success, as evidenced by the newspaper clippings. Finally in present day, the prom queen goes to Wayne's concert, the rapper spots her in the front row, pays her attention for a brief moment and then it's him thwarting her. He totally flipped the script on that girl. Hard work does pay off in the end.

Rolling Stone recently previewed Weezy's Auto Tunetastic Rebirth, the rapper's attempt to reinvent both hip-hop and rock, and we were impressed. There's homages to Coldplay and old-school Beastie Boys, a Prince-inspired track and even an Avril Lavigne cameo. For much more on our Rebirth first listen, click below:

• First Listen: Lil Wayne Embraces Skate-Punk, Auto Tune On Rock Record Rebirth

And for a history of rappers going rock, check out Kings of Rock: What Happens When MCs Trade Beats for Guitars

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• Inside Lil Wayne's "Real Rock Album": "Prom Queen" Producers Talk Rebirth
• Lil Wayne Plots Rock Album Rebirth, First Single "Prom Queen" Leaks
• Lil Wayne Laughs For Letterman, Cries For Couric As Grammys Near

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Song Stories

“Piano Man”

Billy Joel | 1973

Billy Joel’s first hit, “Piano Man,” was – ironically – an autobiographical lament about how his first album wasn’t a hit. When Cold Spring Harbor didn’t take off, Joel briefly became a lounge pianist in Los Angeles, and this song, about that experience, expressed his frustrations and fears at the time: “And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar/And say, ‘Man, what are you doing here?’” “It was all right,” Joel said later, about the gig. “I got free drinks and union scale, which was the first steady money I’d made in a long time.”

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