Maps of Music

Rebirth (2009)

Where the lyrics of Rebirth take you, and where it was really made.

Wayne's supposed rock debut was the lowest-rated album of 2010 on Metacritic, yet it still debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200.

Key places

Effigy Studios, Ferndale (2009)

Recording site Studio 8 — Effigy Studios is listed among the recording studios for the album, in Ferndale, Michigan. The point marks the city centre, not the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

YMCM Studio, Miami (2009)

Recording site The Hit Factory Criteria — YMCM Studio is listed among the recording studios for the album, in Miami, Florida. The point marks the city centre, not the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Rebirth: seventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne
• Released February 2, 2010 on Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment and Universal Motown
• Production mainly by Cool & Dre, DJ Infamous, DJ Nasty & LVM, Kevin Rudolf, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
• Promoted as Wayne's rock music debut, though it includes some hip-hop tracks
• Guest appearances from Eminem, Kevin Rudolf, Shanell and Nicki Minaj
• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 176,000 copies in its first week
• Wayne's seventh top-ten album in the United States, with four singles

Background

• Originally thought to be a re-release of his triple-platinum album Tha Carter III
• First scheduled for December 21, 2008; Wayne pushed the date back
• Amazon accidentally shipped about 500 pre-ordered copies a week before the first scheduled release
• January 23, 2009: Wayne told MTV it would be his rock album debut, not a re-release
• Went through multiple release dates before finally coming out February 2, 2010
• Shanell said the delays came from Wayne's wish for the album to be perfect
• Wayne denied plans to pack Tha Carter IV with it as a double disc

Recording

• Most of Wayne's vocals were recorded using AutoTune
• He considered naming the album "Rebirth Of Auto-Tune"
• "Prom Queen" was produced by DJ Infamous and Drew Correa
• Wayne was said to play guitar on "On Fire" and bass on "Da Da Da"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans; signed to Cash Money Records at age 11 after being discovered by Birdman in 1993.
• Early career as B.G.'z and then Hot Boys (formed 1997) with Juvenile, B.G. and Turk; the group reached mainstream success with Guerrilla Warfare (1999).
• Solo breakthrough with Tha Block Is Hot (1999), certified platinum within a month of release.
• Tha Carter III (2008) sold over 1 million copies in its first week and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album; its single "Lollipop" topped the Billboard Hot 100.
• Founded Young Money Entertainment in 2005; the label signed Drake, Tyga and Nicki Minaj.
• Has sold over 120 million records worldwide and won five Grammy Awards.
• Released Tha Carter VI in 2025 and was named the first male artist to surpass Elvis Presley in Hot 100 entries.

Legacy

• Often described as one of the most influential artists of the 21st century.
• His style and use of Auto-Tune influenced modern hip-hop, especially the development of trap.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic average 37 out of 100 from 21 reviews, indicating generally unfavorable reviews
• Lowest-rated album of 2010 at Metacritic; sixth on its list of worst-reviewed albums
• Los Angeles Times: Jeff Weiss called it one of the worst albums of the year so far
• NME: Sam Wolfson called it an absurd shlock-rock record
• Chicago Tribune: Greg Kot panned the stylistic change and called the lyrics crushingly banal
• AllMusic: David Jeffries called it a loud and ignorable bore
• Rolling Stone: Christian Hoard found Wayne's taste in rock very questionable
• Pitchfork: Ryan Dombal called it an unlikely, unqualified, and quite unbelievable rock album
• Billboard: Devin Chanda gave 56 out of 100
• USA Today: Steve Jones gave two stars out of four
• RapReviews: the only positive review, 7 out of 10

Reappraisal

• Several critics praised "Drop the World" and Eminem's verse as the album's highlight
• Robert Christgau called it underrated and gave a two-star honorable mention
• Christgau cited "Drop the World" and "American Star" as highlights
• Jon Pareles of The New York Times found how it shows a rapper's view of rock interesting

Records

• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 176,000 first-week copies
• Number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts at debut
• Three-week total sales of 324,470
• Stayed at number one on Top Rap Albums for six straight weeks
• 775,000 copies sold in the US by September 2011
• RIAA platinum certification on September 25, 2020
• Entered at number 24 in the UK and number 86 in France

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Amazon shipped about 500 pre-ordered copies early and blamed a "shipping error"
• Wayne considered naming the album "Rebirth Of Auto-Tune"
• "Hot Revolver" was meant for the album but did not appear on it; "On Fire" replaced it as the second single
• Eminem appears on "Drop the World", the third single, which peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100
• Wayne said he collaborated with Fall Out Boy on this album while lending his vocals to their Folie à Deux album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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