Lil Wayne

Within the past two years, Lil Wayne has single-handedly become the centre of rap's orbit, with a flash of his tight, shiny grin and an affinity for brilliant, off-the-dome raps. On seventh studio album Rebirth, Weezy trades his usual brash hip-hop production for a more pastiche approach, blending an oft-cited love of rock music with Auto-Tuned vocals and stuttering beats. Far from being groundbreaking, Rebirth comes off as a parody ― a non-nuanced, obvious and overly stylized attempt at rock. While trudging through the seemingly ska-influenced "Get A Life," the croaking "I'll Die For You" and the hyper-riffy "American Star" (yes, "trudging through" what sound like upbeat tracks) you question whether rap's biggest rock star actually knows anything about the genre, aside from retro top 40 hits and angsty Nickelback and Evanescence. (The man has been critically branded a "genius," so you're not alone in posing that question.) Though not all bad, as those who have heard the bright, scathing "Drop The World" can attest, it's now upsettingly obvious that wailing on a guitar atop a limo in the "Lollipop" video was not burgeoning talent, just bold theatrics for a rapper.