Music Review: "Prom Queen" (CD single)
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that Lil Wayne's latest single is
surprisingly clean. Sure Wayne talks about fancy underwear and
drops the f-bomb a few times, but this single inidicates that
the hardcore rapper is dipping a toe into mainstream music.
Although the song is about unrequited love and lust, the lyrics
aren't sexual or misogynistic.
Families can talk about Lil Wayne's image change. This single marks the rapper's move into rock 'n roll. It also signals a much cleaner approach to lyrical content. Do you think this is a calculated move on Lil Wayne's part to be less hardcore and more mainstream? How do you think his fans will respond? Do you think it is easy for a musician to switch genres?
PROM QUEEN is the first single to be released off Lil Wayne's album, Rebirth, and it marks the rapper's transition into the genre of hard rock (a move that's generated a lot of passionate discussion among his rap fans). His Grammy-nominated album Tha Carter III contained lots of raunchy lyrics. This song, by contrast, is a sad tale of unrequited love with Wayne playing the role of the lovelorn admirer, with the "prom queen" as the popular girl who pays him no mind.
Interestingly, this single lacks the crazy, lyrical spontaneity rap fans have come to expect and love from Lil Wayne. As a rock song, it's OK -- the dark and brooding guitar riffs reminiscent of Black Sabbath or Marilyn Manson are stirring, but tend to drone and drag as the song progresses. Hardcore fans may miss the old, albeit dirty, Lil Wayne -- and it remains to be seen whether they'll follow his foray into rock. But with cleaner lyrics than his previous songs, this is one you can let teens listen to without cringing.
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