Lil Wayne's Producers Compare "Rebirth" to OutKast's "Aquemini"

Even though Lil Wayne's rock-rap record Rebirth has been delayed yet again — to June 23rd now — producers Cool & Dre spoke to MTV about what we can expect from Weezy's Tha Carter III follow-up when it is finally released. So far, fans have heard the album's first single "Prom Queen" and the leaked "Hot Revolver." Despite being advertised as Wayne's "rock record," Dre insists Weezy is staying true to his roots.

"There's some rock records on there, but there's also some records where he's rapping. It's a Lil Wayne album. It's what you expect from Lil Wayne, where he's at creatively," Dre told MTV. The producer also compared Weezy to another innovative, multiple-Grammy-winning rap collective from the South. "It's almost like where OutKast was when they made Aquemini," Dre said. "It's still a rap album, but was it really a rap album compared to all the other rap albums at that time? André Benjamin was evolving artistically to where he's at now — Wayne is doing the same thing, and he's not afraid to show you his growth."

When Lil Wayne appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, Rock Daily talked to the story's writer Mark Binelli about the Rebirth tracks he got an early listen to in the studio. "He really needs better rock influences than Fall Out Boy and Korn," Binelli said, citing the nu-metal sound of "Prom Queen" as an example. Still, it's not all mall rock. As RS noted in our Rebirth First Listen, Wayne "pays homage to the Beastie Boys with giant 808s on another awesome tune, and yet another song finds him rhyming over strings reminiscent of the ones in Coldplay's 'Viva la Vida.' " Dre insists, "Rebirth is going to be another classic album."

Related Stories:

• Lil Wayne: The Story Behind the Story
• First Listen: Lil Wayne Embraces Skate-Punk, Auto Tune On Rock Record "Rebirth"
• Lil Wayne Channels John Hughes Teen Flicks In "Prom Queen" Video

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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