Lil Wayne Rocks Out on New Album

Lil Wayne always said he was a rock star. Now his prophecy will be fulfilled when he releases his first rock album Rebirth on April 7.

Rebirth is not Tha Carter IV that fans have been awaiting since Weezy dropped his multi-platinum LP Tha Carter III last year. Instead, it’s an entirely rock album that may showcase his newly-honed guitar skills.

The album’s first single is called “Prom Queen” and will debut online after a live MySpace.com stream of his concert in San Diego, Calif., on January 27.

The New Orleans MC calls the album a “birth of a new beginning.” “This is something brand new, so we don’t want it to be some experimental thing, ’cause some people are not gonna like this,” he told MTV News.

Wayne is not the first rapper in recent memory to release a non-hip-hop album. Kanye West strayed from the norm with 2008’s 808s & Heartbreak, which debuted at No. 1 and spawned the hit singles “Love Lockdown” and “Heartless.”