Lil Wayne ALBUM: âÄúRebirthâÄù LABEL: Universal RELEASE DATE: Feb. 2 âÄúRebirthâÄù may just be Lil WayneâÄôs âÄúChinese Democracy .âÄù Granted, the prolific Birdman Jr. didnâÄôt taken ten years to record âÄúRebirthâÄù like Axl , but in Weezy years, the album has been a long time coming. And technically itâÄôs not even out yet âÄî it was supposed to come out in the summer, then in fall, and as of press time it is slated for a Feb. 2 release. But like most records these days, âÄúRebirthâÄù leaked rather publicly, as Amazon apparently sent out pre-release copies to certain customers. Unfortunately, the LP, like âÄúChinese DemocracyâÄù before it, disappoints. You canâÄôt blame the guy for attempting to do something other than toke up, drink cough syrup and spew verses, but did his ambitious journey into Jimmy Page-land work out as planned? Nope. After the massive success of WeezyâÄôs âÄúCarterâÄù series, the formation of his Young Money collective and his appearance on pretty much every Top 40 song of the past two years, the incredibly prolific rapperâÄôs decision to add âÄúrock starâÄù to his list ended with disastrous results. Weezy has oft been praised for his lyrical creativity, but he failed to conjure it on âÄúRebirth.âÄù Instead, itâÄôs been lost in the midst of overzealous vocoders and shrill guitars. Wayne works best with deceptively simple beats and a low-key swagger, both are absent here. âÄúKnockout,âÄù with Young MoneyâÄôs flirty and fabulous Nicki Minaj , sounds as though itâÄôs been remixed with a Top-40 pop-punk track, to disarming and distracting effect. Other Young Money members, particularly Shanell and Gudda Gudda , appear on the album, but itâÄôs WayneâÄôs âÄúduetâÄù with Eminem , who Wayne once said refused to do a track with him, that has garnered the most attention. ItâÄôs not groundbreaking or electrifying in any way, but itâÄôs probably the most authentic offering on the album, as anger-fueled as it is. An excerpt from Weezy: âÄúB-tch, IâÄôm-a pick up the world and drop it on your f—ing head.âÄù Mr. Carter has long proclaimed his belief that heâÄôs an alien sent from outer space, and maybe his antennae were just picking up some strange frequencies when he decided to record a rock album. Since Wayne releases albums and mix-tapes as often as Lindsay Lohan changes hair colors, hereâÄôs hoping his next disc sees him putting that pesky guitar down. Luckily Lil WayneâÄôs been sentenced to about a year in prison due to a felony weapons charge so he wonâÄôt have time (or freedom) to promote this mess.