By Chris Richburg
Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop and pop charts may represent familiar territory for Lil Wayne, but the rapper is breaking new ground on the music magazine's rock chart with a cover of his hit single “Lollipop.”
The remake, performed by the Nashville, Tennessee based rock band Framing Hanley, currently sits at No. 37 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.
With the ranking, Lil Wayne marked his first appearance on a Billboard rock tally.
The addition of “Lollipop” came as Framing Hanley tried to get its new guitar player Ryan in the band after returning from tour in April.
“We wanted to see how things would work out between us musically," the group’s lead singer Kenneth Nixon, the group’s lead singer told Billboard. "During rehearsal, I'd mentioned we should cover Lil Wayne's 'Lollipop' at our next show. Next thing I knew, Ryan was playing the intro on his guitar and an hour later we had our own rock rendition of it."
The new version proved to be a hit as requests from fans began pouring on Framing Hanley’s MySpace page, a few days after the band played the song at a show in Nashville.
Soon after, Framing Hanley officially recorded and uploaded the song.
"The plays went through the roof," said Nixon, who hopes their version of “Lollipop” satisfies Lil Wayne. "I love Wayne," Nixon said about the New Orleans rapper, guitar player and rock ‘n roll fan. "He's the originator, and I hope he believes imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
The “Lollipop” cover is among the standouts featured on a re-release of Framing Hanley’s debut album The Moment, which arrives in stores November 18.
According to Billboard, the group recently hit the road for a month-long North American tour with Theory of a Deadman.
“Lollipop’s” showing on the Billboard rock chart is yet another accomplishment for Lil Wayne, whose latest album Tha Carter III, sold more than 1 million copies in its first week to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.