Lil Wayne Teams With AT&T To Debut 'Rebirth'

Lil Wayne has announced a tentative April 7 release date for his next album, "Rebirth," a Universal spokesperson confirms. First single "Prom Queen," produced by Infamous and Drew Correa ("Mr. Carter"), was serviced to media over the weekend and will debut live on Wayne's MySpace page tomorrow (Jan. 27).

In addition, "Prom Queen" will debut tomorrow on the social networking site Facebook as part of a partnership between Lil Wayne and AT&T. The rapper will perform the single for the first time during a concert in San Diego, which will be streamed live on AT&T’s FREEdom of Choice and Mobile Music Facebook pages at 9:40 p.m. PST on Jan. 28.

“We have streamed festivals and shows in the past, but this is the first time AT&T will stream a live performance for our Facebook pages,” AT&T spokesperson Heather Buffington tells Billboard.com.

According to Huffington, AT&T customers downloaded Lil Wayne ringtones more than any other artist last year. He’s also the most popular artist with a Facebook page, she adds.

Following the show, a "Prom Queen" ringtone will be available to AT&T customers for purchase via text or through the AT&T Media Mall from handsets or online. This exclusive offer will run through Feb. 2. AT&T customers can also download the full track via text.

Contrary to previous reports, which said the forthcoming album would be titled "Tha Carter IV," the rock-inspired "Rebirth" will not be the next installment in "Tha Carter" series or related to any previous album he's released, according to his publicist.
Wayne's move to a rock'n'roll sound isn't surprising, considering he often plays guitar at his concerts and has aligned himself with new rock artist Kevin Rudolf. He appears on the latter's debut single, "Let It Rock," which recently peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"I might want to hear a certain sound like Prince, but I can't pay him to play it. So, I picked up a guitar and learned how to play it," Wayne told Billboard last year. "[It] goes to show you the only thing that can't be done is what you don't want to do."

As previously reported, Lil Wayne will perform Feb. 8 at the 51st annual Grammy Awards.