POPSCREEN: Lil' Wayne

Lil’ Wayne has conquered the rap world but he isn’t a rock star just yet. With lead single “Prom Queen” off his upcoming rock debut “Rebirth,” he crosses over into a land few rappers ever cared to go to. No, not the rock world. High school.

But Lil’ Wayne has the skills to survive in his preppy environment. Well, presuming the face tats don’t freak anyone out anyway. He plays the guitar—probably about as well as that douche you hated who slept with your girlfriend.

Lil’ Wayne fearlessly flouts convention by playing only chords and notes that spare him the inconvenience of hand movement, most apparent on his bold three-note solo. But on the bright side, the guitar on “Prom Queen” is simple enough that it can be learned by watching the video.

Lil’ Wayne and Dave Meyers, who co-directed “Prom Queen,” were probably aware that Lil’ Wayne’s guitar skills aren’t really hard-rocking, nor rocking at all. They attempt to raise the level of rock in “Prom Queen” by employing a gratuitous dose of seizure-inducing camera effects. Bluish stage lights flash constantly, scene changes occur in sporadic bursts, and every drum fill thrashes the camera like an earthquake.

The inspired music is matched by a truly inspired story: Lil’ Wayne used to have a high school crush who, in an unprecedented move, refused his advances. Well now Lil’ Wayne is rich and famous and she’s been left by her boyfriend to raise their child alone. The child is probably ugly. So years later, after “Tha Carter” tops the charts and Lil’ Wayne sweeps the Grammy’s, she shows up at one of his shows only to get pushed away. The moral of the story is not to say no to Lil’ Wayne lest you end up poor and lonely.

—Mark A. Fusunyan