Lil Wayne-rap or rock?

Hip-Hop artist Lil Wayne's latest music videos have featured him holding or "playing" an electric guitar and in some cases, having a back up rock band playing behind him. It is more than obvious that Lil Wayne cannot play the guitar as he usually just holds the instrument or stikes a chord once or twice. It can be backed up in music magazine sources that Lil Wayne cannot in fact play the guitar. This change from his usual rap video props of half-naked women, cars and club scenes to a more alternative rock band feel of things makes me wonder what Lil Wayne is trying to do with his music. Though I have never been a fan of hip-hop or rap music and certainly never a fan of Lil Wayne, who seems to be infamous for his unusual sound and music in the hip-hop music genre, it was hard not to notice his "rap star to rock star" change as his new music videos can be found on every popular cable channel. My question is whether Lil Wayne is trying to change the rap/hip-hop image or whether he is trying to morph his own image. In recent internet articles commenting on Lil Wayne's new character, people find it rather funny that he holds a guitar that he obviously cannot play in his music videos and that he is trying to make videos similar to that of popular rock bands like Blink-182 and Bring Me The Horizon. Other articles critique in defense of the rap star saying that although he is not a good guitar player and certainly not strong enough to play the instrument in his own music videos, he is not a phony. Lil Wayne is said to actually be taking guitar lessons as well as voice lessons. Sources say he is enthusiastic about playing and he is a fast learner. However, the goals he has for his carreer seem to be faster and Lil Wayne's new image he wishes to create for himself is not quite strong enough and therefore is receiving a lot of criticism. I believe that Lil Wayne is strong enough to know that he cannot change the whole image society has for hip-hop and rap music, but he understands fans will eventually get tired of his same image and songs with the same beat and bass line. Like many other musicians, Lil Wayne is developing and changing his stage image so as not to fade out of the celebrity spotlight. Though I find his evolution quite comical and more noticable than others, any change especially made by someone as popular as he, is bound to receive a decent amound of grief.