I wrote this a while ago for some magazine
Lil Wayne - I Am Not a Human Being
With Wayne’s last album, Rebirth, his self-indulgent venture into American Power Pop/rap with screeching guitar solos and hard hitting power chord riffage in mind, I think we were all pleased to find out that his latest EP/LP I Am Not a Human Being Wayne returns to what he’s best at: straight up R&B with a gangsta’ swagga. However if you were expecting Tha Carter IV you will be bitterly disappointed; this ain’t it.
Lyrically, Wayne seems to have run out of ideas and seems to have recycled a lot of stuff from previous mixtapes and LPs. Don’t get me wrong, the cheeky humour and intelligent punch lines are still there but it lacks the passion and attitude of the fantastic DJ Drama produced mixtapes Dedication 1 & 2. Instead the violent, gun toting, misogynistic moments that can be looked over quite easily in the past, stand out clearer than ever, lacking the sense of irony that previously helped the medicine go down.
Similarly, the production is often a little stale and unoriginal, although this isn’t always a bad thing. The guitar-lead title track appears to surpass anything Wayne covered on Rebirth, combining Wayne’s signature pounding 808 bass hits with chopped up guitar stabs reminiscent of Jay-Z’s 99 Problems and the deep, anthemic breakbeats of Dizzee Rascal’s Fix Up, Look Sharp. Another stand out moment is the wonderfully poppy – and aptly named – Popular. Although the lyrics often reach newfound levels of innuendo and explicit wordplay, Wayne pulls it off with considerable style and we get a glimpse of the kind of lyricism not displayed since Lollipop.
The StreetRunner production With You offers a bit of soulful relief with a Kanye inspired female vocal sample, syrupy chorus featuring the talented Wayne disciple Drake and gentle piano tinkling this track defiantly has potential to become a regular on any contemporary R&B fan’s stereo and with the radio friendly lyrics would make a great single. Unfortunately the single choices so far in “I’m Single” and “Right Above It” have been less than exciting.
Despite it being a considerable improvement on his dire effort on Rebirth, I Am Not a Human Being is nothing to get excited about. I just hope that when Tha Carter IV finally sees the light of day it will meet the high standards that Wayne had set with previous releases.
