I was hesitant to bash Lil Wayne’s god-awful "rock" single, "Prom Queen," when it leaked this weekend. Felt too much like shooting fish in a barrel, you know? I said my piece about Weezy’s delusions of guitar-hero grandeur long ago. After seeing footage of the song’s live premiere this morning, though, I can stay silent no longer. Trout better watch out, because I’m aiming straight into that barrel.
So there you have it: Music’s reigning emperor standing bare-assed before us. This unholy combination of bargain-basement mall-metal riffage and semi-conscious Auto-Tuned moaning sounded bad enough in the studio, but seeing Wayne attempt to perform this song live is just painful. You may notice that virtually no sound comes out when Weezy starts maniacally tapping his frets around the 1:50 mark. This is because Lil Wayne cannot play guitar (even after months of "practice"!), so he’s mixed waaaay down, if he’s even plugged in to an amp at all. And he wants us to listen to an entire album of this nonsense?
I’ve said it before, but once more for the road, Lil Wayne is a genius. I firmly believe he is one of the greatest lyricists who has ever lived, when he wants to be. What’s more, I am all for artists expanding their range and confounding their audiences. (Kid A is probably my favorite album of all time. The Love Below is pretty sweet too!) None of that changes the fact that even geniuses make mistakes, and as responsible fans we have to call them out. "Prom Queen" would be lame if it was being played by a random rock band. It’s still just as lame when it’s being played by the world’s biggest rapper.
But hey, maybe there’s something wrong with my ears. Do any of you actually like "Prom Queen"?
More on Lil Wayne:
He was one of EW’s 25 Entertainers of the Year for 2008
Tha Carter III made it onto Leah Greenblatt’s 10 Best CDs of 2008
Weezy’s Gatorade ads are awesome
Thinking over Tha Carter III when it hit shelves last June
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hmmm… i also didn’t hear anything when he started playing… not his fault tho, might have been awesome… and yes this live performance was not ver good… but it was the first for the song, and i’m sure it’s not as well put together as it will be the more it’s played…. the song is mediocre, but what makes it great is that here’s someone who’s conquered the rap world, and instead of resting on his laurels…. he switches gears completely…. and i applaud him for that and am interested to see how the whole cd comes out… plus i believe this is just the “street single” and he will release another more official first single in the near future
Wait – that’s a SONG?! Maybe I’m just another old fuddy-duddy, but I saw no musical merit what-so-ever, except for an okay guitar riff (apparently not played by Lil’ Wayne himself).
I liked that song better than any of his rap music! He may be a good lyricist (emphasis on ‘may’), but his beats and arrangements do nothing for me.
this shaneka sims and i just wonted to till you that i like this stuff
this shaneka i love lil wayne i love all his songs and everything he is my role modle
You want real rock?
You’re welcome. Wayne should stick to what he knows best.
His 15 mins were up long ago. I don’t know why he is still in the mix
that was brutal. the whole song was rough, not just lil wayne’s guitar playing. yeah i think god-awful pretty much sums it up.
I’m not sure how I feel about it, and I tend to chastize Simon ALL THE TIME but that sure was SOMETHING, I just dunno what. I agree with the comments about it being the song’s debut, but I also feel that as bad as some of us might think the rock & roll image is for Weezy, that the song will be an undeniable hit since Spring is prom season for those of us that are no longer in our teens. It will be interesting though, since this is Weezy’s 1st single, and it has no urban base whatsoever. All past Weezy singles, especially from “Tha Carter III” were monster urban singles before crossing over to pop charts. This song is very much in the lane of Kevin Rudolf’s “Let It Rock”. This will be THE anthem of proms this years, but what about those who may not be able to afford going to their proms during this economic crisis? This is risky, but I dunno, Weezy seems to be untouchable right now.
Lil Wayne is indeed the best rapper alive, and I even got a kick out of “Hot Revolver”, but sadly this is just bad.
Its rappin with rock music.
“Party like a rockstar” ring any bells?
Its gonna be a hot song. Lil Wayne has been around for a long time now….its been longer than 15 minutes.
Just get used to it I suppose. The “kids” will love it. It will turn a new audience on to rock. I have that icky feeling.
Looks like somebody’s been composing songs with Microsoft’s Songsmith!
I’m in high school and all my friends are big Weezy fans, and trust me us “kids” don’t like it.
Man, this foo has been put on a pedestal for too long. he was better in the Cash Money days, now he’s wayyy too overhyped.
Listen more than once. It grows on you. Regardless, this is one song from the new album, check out “Hot Revolver” before you kill the king.
I was too distracted by the apparent load he was carrying in the back of those white boxer shorts to even notice he was playing the guitar.
I promise you I am Weezy’s biggest “white chick” fan there is – but this just doesn’t do it for me – or better yet does nothing for me. I am pretty disappointed in the live version – maybe the recorded version will be better. I love you Weezy!
what “15 minutes” are you talking about? i suppose for people who dont follow rap and hip-hop it would seem like lil wayne came from no where, and he’s riding the 15 minute train. but ive been listening to weezy since i was in 8th grade and im now a college grad….. this guys is not going anywhere. at least he wont be if he “cleans up” his act
I am anxiously waiting for Lil’ Wayne’s fall from fame. He can say hello to Nelly, Ja Rule, and 50 Cent. Sorry, Nelly.
Honestly, most of you people on this board don’t know much about real rap and hiphop since you’re pretty much unanimous about Wayne being the “Best Rapper Alive” (laughable). I can name quite a few rappers that have better lyrics, speed, & delivery than Wayne, but for me it’s weird because I wouldn’t include him in the conversation in the first place. Honestly, I don’t know were this best rapper stuff comes from. I think it’s just goofyass white people that don’t know what their talking about and just think this stuff is more dope than it really is. He’s a good, but he’s not doing anything special lyrically in my opinion, nothing that couldn’t be easily crushed and decimated by real wordsmiths like Nas or Lupe Fiasco. Accuse me of stereotyping but when it comes to rap, it’s like that stuff has to be watered down for dumasses to be able to listen to on the radio.
Dude, both Nelly and Lil Wayne have been around for about 10 years now. These aren’t the kind of guys that are going anywhere, especially Nelly. Nelly’s a hustler. Guys like him and Ludacris will do whatever the heck it takes to make money, they have no shame
I give props to Wayne for actually making a song that is within the style of rock that would be played on a REAL rock station, not the pop station. I was actually surprised. Also I gotta say it takes a lot of balls to step out of your comfort zone, and make a rock record. I like the lyrics, I liked the live version better then the autotune recording thats out–I really hope they will go back and redo the song before the album drops–it seems unfinished or something, I still think he is coming into his own in terms of his singing, but I like his voice I think it works for rock, kinda reminds me of the lead singer of Korn, that kinda vocals. I have really not liked the rock scene for a few years now, I hate the crap thats played on the alternative stations, waynes song is not that bad, just needs to be fixed up a little.
Can anyone explain to me what mall rock is??? is it that pop crap thats called rock but only played on the pop stations? is it rock bands that are on major labels?
okay i love lil wayne so if he wants to TRY to make a rock album im all for it cuz i love him ireguardless how horrible that song is. i just hope he will get better or something. and no i hate prom queen and lil wayne cant play guitar but he IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE BEST RAPPER ALIVE. =]
lmao… this whole thread is hilarious
..guys.. come on.. its Weezy Baby… (the f is silent)lol.. haha
some one said on this thread to listen to this more than once… i agree… it really grows on you… Wayne is a subliminal genius.. at a first go… people don’t like most of his songs but a few more listens… well… come on… don’t you remember “lollipop”.. how many of you guys can honestly say u liked it from the get-go… nobody did… everyone grew on it though… Wayne is an artist kinda like picasso… When Picasso first came on the scene.. people thought he’s drawings were way too abstract to be popular… but they grew on it… Wayne’s brain is just on a different level… a different planet… and we all need to accept that…
“you should admire my dedication… i am a winner just call me congratulation”…
- Weezy
ARE YOU CRAZY!!! this song is awesome just clear that rap out of your head cause hes goin ROCK!!!
that guy at 735 is seriously comparing lupe fiasco to lil wayne? wow what a retard
right now outside of like the streets of chicago no one is talking about lupe like they are wayne
i mean this may not be his “best” but he is stepping outside his domain and trying something. it is in his right he is the best rapper alive.
no doubt
i think the song sounds good but his performance was not. he is used to rappin so he didnt sing the song. this song is gonna be a hit though, i like it but again, his performance wasnt really good. i do think wayne is the best rap artist in the game. his lyrics make sense if you analyze them which most ppl dont do. if u looked closely at his lyrics, u would think he was a genius. he is also the most consistent rapper. he is in the studio everyday, all day and he comes out with his own albums and is featured on everyone elses. i dont think wayne should be everyones fav but i think a lot of ppl dont like him because everyone says he is the best. a lot of ppl have favorite rappers who they think should be considered the best and get mad when they hear ppl say wayne is the best and thats why they dont like him(which honestly is considered hatin) but wayne is,on top of everything else i said, the most diverse rapper, he has many styles which also helps him outshine other rappers.
This is on about the same artistic level (and seems to have the same basic plotline) as Sk8er Boi. Lil Wayne is a brilliant lyricist, but he’s not a storyteller. In this song he’s thrown away the reason people love him- his rapid-fire, free-flowing, brilliant lyrical style. It’s not a style built for rock music. He’s obviously out of his depth here
I respect this branching out
well this song rocks,wayne has smashed the whole rap game with outstanding records and sales so why not just switch it 2 rock and and do the same being the best that title simply means going outside the box and thzts exactly what he does when a king becomes king he tries 2 take over every thing and thats exactly wat he does whoever desnt like it ur just an effin hater who has 2 much free time!!!