Lil Wayne might be incarcerated at the moment (this week’s news revealed he had been moved to solitary confinement), but he still manages to put out new music. Pretty good music in fact.
Wayne (Dwayne Carter) recorded every track on “I Am Not A Human Being” before being arrested on weapons charges, with the intention of putting them on a teaser EP for his 2011 album, “Tha Carter IV.” His arrest might have prolonged the work on “Carter” because “Human Being” is now a 10-track album.
One complaint that has been leveled against the record is that the production is underwhelming and rushed. Critics are right; the production is both. This is to be expected, considering the artist is in prison. Is that really a bad thing in his case? The most mainstream of Weezy’s fans adore singles like “A Milli” off his official albums, but hip-hop connoisseurs all point to his EPs and mix tapes as highlights of his work.
Some artists write great lyrics and have great beats to boot, but that’s not Lil Wayne’s style. When he has time to plan a song out, it sounds forced. When he’s given a microphone and lets go, his stream of consciousness approach provides the most quality results. He is like the “Family Guy” of hip-hop; his constant pop culture references and tangents aren’t logical, but they sure are fun. In the uncomfortably titled “Gonorrhea,” he references NBA player Paul Pierce, Britney Spears and the viral “two girls” video.
Nine of the songs feature guest performers. Three of the songs feature Drake. Lil Wayne is wasting his time here. Drake is competent, but the rest of the guests do nothing for the album. Wayne is in his element on the album, so he could have come up with something better.
“I Am Not A Human Being” is under-produced, and Lil Wayne is behind bars, but his lyrical ability is over the moon.
