hiptics.com

This time last year Lil Wayne was the most popular rapper in America. Tha Carter III had been in stores for a month and change, as was certified platinum within the first seven days it was in stores. To his credit, Wayne is still a very powerful force in the hip hop world and his Canadian homie, Drake, is in-demand more so than any other rapper. However, a lack of buzz surrounding his upcoming rock-rap project (Rebirth) is tarnishing Weezy’s reputation as a go-to guy for big sales.

How did we get here? Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the failure-that-is Rebirth.

January 23, 2009 – Lil Wayne tells MTV that his follow-up to Tha Carter III will be a “rock album.” Wayne’s reps says fan can expect Rebirth on April 7th.

January 25, 2009 – Weezy leaks his first rock-n-roll song entitled “Prom Queen.” Hiptics refused to post it.

I’m not posting it even if it is the first single from Rebirth. Seems like every hip-hop blog I visit posted “Prom Queen” as soon as it leaked which only shows me that a lot of these blogs have no standards or taste.

Early March – The labels give Wayne money to film a “Prom Queen” music video. He debuts the clip on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

March 22, 2009 - The word on the street is that Rebirth will hit stores on June 9th.

March 31, 2009 – Baby delivers a new message about Rebirth: It’s NOT rock! Here’s what Birdman told VIBE (R.I.P.) about the sound of his son’s upcoming album.

“It’s not a rock record,” Baby told VIBE recently during an exclusive interview. “That’s what I think people are getting misunderstood. When you speaking about a rock record, you think he’s got a guitar and everything, but it’s not that. It’s going to be some of those types of beats, but it’s just great music.

April 28, 2009 – Florida production team Cool and Dre tell the media that Lil Wayne’s Rebirth is a “classic album.”

June 5, 2009 – Asked about Rebirth at the MTV Movie Awards, Weezy tells fans to expect “great music.”

July 29, 2009 – There is no official release date set for Rebirth.

“It’s not going to be ’til the end of the year. We’re talking about holiday (season),” a Cash Money Records representative recently told press.

“He (Wayne)’s just been really hectic, not having time to promote it the way we’d like to promote it.”

However, when the single “Prom Queen” dropped in January (09) and only reached No. 15 on the Billboard 100 charts, Universal possibly had cause for concern.

Rumor also has it, Lil Wayne’s manager Cortez Bryant was advised against letting the “A Milli” star press forward with the project.

A source says, “If Wayne doesn’t brighten up, they have to turn into Mr. Evil Record Company and just tell him it’s never going to be released.” (Full Story)

Hiptics.com is updated every single day with your kind of hip hop:

1. Lil Wayne Wants You To Read This Blog Post
2. Lil Wayne Is The FAKEST Rapper Alive!
3. Poll Of The Week: Drake vs. Kanye West vs. Lil Wayne vs. Eminem