Despite rumors (hopes, perhaps?) that Lil Wayne’s proposed rock album, Rebirth , was rejected by the head honchos at Universal , it now looks as if the record will be seeing a Summer 2009 release. According to an article in Rap-Up, Weezy’s nu-metal experiment has a tentative release date of June 9, facing off against new albums from Black Eyed Peas and Sonic Youth. Any self-respecting music fan that walks into a record store, has a choice between these three albums, and chooses anything other than the Sonic Youth record should be shot and forgotten.

Our first taste of Wayne’s new direction was given in “Prom Queen ,” one of Prefix Magazine’s most universally despised tracks, and if the rest of Rebirth holds to the same pattern, we might have rap’s equivalent of Metal Machine Music on our hands. The main difference between the two, however, is that while it’s generally accepted that Lou Reed intentionally spat in the face of his record label with Metal Machine Music , Lil Wayne probably believes Rebirth will be a wave of ground-breaking, chart-topping magic. What a serious loss. It might not make him any less interesting, but we all may look back at this period of Wayne’s career as his lost years. He’s the best rapper on the planet -- why won’t he just rap for us? Please? [ HipHopDX ]