Mariel Concepcion, N.Y.
Lil Wayne has announced a tentative April 7 release date for his
next album, "Rebirth," a Universal spokesperson confirms. First
single "Prom Queen," produced by Infamous and Drew Correa ("Mr.
Carter"), was serviced to media over the weekend and will debut
live on Wayne's MySpace page tomorrow (Jan. 27).
In addition, "Prom Queen" will debut tomorrow on the social
networking site Facebook as part of a partnership between Lil Wayne
and AT&T. The rapper will perform the single for the first time
during a concert in San Diego, which will be streamed live on
AT&T’s FREEdom of Choice and Mobile Music Facebook pages at
9:40 p.m. PST on Jan. 27 (12:40 a.m. EST on Jan. 28).
“We have streamed festivals and shows in the past, but this is the
first time AT&T will stream a live performance for our Facebook
pages,” AT&T spokesperson Heather Buffington tells
Billboard.com.
According to Huffington, AT&T customers downloaded Lil Wayne
ringtones more than any other artist last year. He’s also the most
popular artist with a Facebook page, she adds.
Following the show, a "Prom Queen" ringtone will be available to
AT&T customers for purchase via text or through the AT&T
Media Mall from handsets or online. This exclusive offer will run
through Feb. 2. AT&T customers can also download the full track
via text.
Contrary to previous reports, which said the forthcoming album
would be titled "Tha Carter IV," the rock-inspired "Rebirth" will
not be the next installment in "Tha Carter" series or related to
any previous album he's released, according to his publicist.
Wayne's move to a rock'n'roll sound isn't surprising, considering
he often plays guitar at his concerts and has aligned himself with
new rock artist Kevin Rudolf. He appears on the latter's debut
single, "Let It Rock," which recently peaked at No. 5 on the
Billboard Hot 100.
"I might want to hear a certain sound like Prince, but I can't pay
him to play it. So, I picked up a guitar and learned how to play
it," Wayne told Billboard last year. "[It] goes to show you the
only thing that can't be done is what you don't want to do."
As previously reported, Lil Wayne will perform Feb. 8 at the
51st annual Grammy Awards.