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I Am Not a Human Being: The Martian Is Back

Ned Hardy ’13
Staff Writer

I Am Not A Human Being album cover
Lil Wayne has certainly had a lot going on recently. In 2008, Wayne released his third album, Tha Carter III, to critical acclaim. In 2009, “Weezy”, as his fans affectionately call him, dropped a free mixtape called No Ceilings to further critical acclaim. It was around this point that Wayne began calling himself “The Best Rapper Alive.”

However, something bad was bound to happen, and in March 2010 Wayne released an experimental rap-rock album called Rebirth, which was met with negative reviews and low sales. The album currently holds a 37/100 on review aggregator site Metacritic.com.

After being convicted of criminal possession of a firearm in March 2010, Lil Wayne was sentenced to eight months at New York’s Rikers Island Prison. Before leaving, Wayne decided that he would release a new EP on his birthday, September 27, even though it wasn’t expected for release until November at the earliest. And thus I Am Not a Human Being was born.

I Am Not a Human Being continues on Lil Wayne’s “I am a Martian and also much better than you” train of thought. It is filled with spacey beats and rough lyrics. The EP contains an eclectic mix of songs, ranging from the angry title track “I Am Not a Human Being,” to the boasting “Bill Gates,” to the romantic “With You.” Wayne decided to bring his ever-present Young Money Crew to the party, including newcomer chart-topper Nicki Minaj and Weezy’s protégé Drake who appears on four songs.

The first single, “Right Above It” features Drake reflecting on his newfound riches (I got a couple cars I never get to use) and Lil Wayne reclaiming his position at the top of the game with the line You know you at the top when only heaven’s right above it. It’s the easiest song on the album to listen to, which is probably the reason it’s the lead single.

Wayne then transitions into more risqué material with a track bluntly titled “Gonorrhea,” in which the rapper proclaims that, for their own safety, other rappers best stay under his radar. Believe me, though: he says this in far more explicit and unprintable terms. Not his best song in my opinion, but if you enjoy listening to an angry Weezy, this is the song for you.

Moving to a softer side of the EP, Lil Wayne serenades women with the track “With You” and decides he’s single for the night on “I’m Single.” In “With You”, the rapper tells his lover how he’d like to spend the evening with her, candles and rose petals included. “I’m Single” is a little less romantic, with Weezy telling other women that he’s single for the night, much to his girlfriend’s chagrin. Lil Wayne certainly shows his mellower side here, but by no means is it a dull part of his personality.

Wayne finishes the EP with a boastful track titled “Bill Gates”. If Lil Wayne has succeeded in re-cementing his name in one song on the album, this is the one. Weezy informs the listener that he has many issues to deal with, but he prefers to forget about them and enjoy life. I still don’t know what Wayne means in the chorus when he says I used to be a baller/But now I’m Bill Gatin’. Maybe he’s doing more philanthropy? My guess is that Weezy’s just telling us that he is very, very wealthy.

Is I Am Not a Human Being of Tha Carter III caliber? No, we’ll have to wait for Tha Carter IV for something that extraordinary. But this summer, all I could think of while listening to a Drake or Nicki Minaj song was, “Yes, Lil Wayne, we understand that you have talented protégés. But you are who we really wish to hear!” I Am Not a Human Being delivers on that wish while providing a respectable, solid base for an artist who has recently been rocked by bad luck. Rebirth rock included.

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  • H

    Honestly...Oct 24, 2010 at 9:06 pm

    this is in the A&E section
    and it is a review
    so that means its an opinion
    so how about you get off the back of a high school student, bitt!

    Reply
  • H

    Honestly...Oct 24, 2010 at 9:06 pm

    this is in the A&E section
    and it is a review
    so that means its an opinion
    so how about you get off the back of a high school student, bitt!

    Reply
  • U

    umadOct 24, 2010 at 8:48 pm

    bitt how about you do some research for yourself before you make all these accusations. Nothing you said has any validity. Do you even know what wikipedia is? Youre fail. Everything the writer said here is true

    Reply
  • U

    umadOct 24, 2010 at 8:48 pm

    bitt how about you do some research for yourself before you make all these accusations. Nothing you said has any validity. Do you even know what wikipedia is? Youre fail. Everything the writer said here is true

    Reply
    • B

      bittOct 25, 2010 at 4:42 pm

      That’s not true, everything I pointed out is correct. If your getting your information off of Wikipedia you are a clown.

      BITTTTTTTTTTTT

      P.S. I totally agree with the writers opinion, being a Lil Wayne fan myself. It just sounded like he is very unfamiliar with Wayne. Btw, I am a high school student too so chill out freckles McGee.

      Reply
  • A

    A Concerned Staples StudentOct 24, 2010 at 8:38 pm

    I think this article totally rocks. Ned, great work and keep it please!!! Your insight into rap/hip-hop music continues to inspire me each day.

    Reply
  • C

    Cool GuyOct 24, 2010 at 11:20 am

    lil wayne is terrible. other rappers deserve more respect

    Reply
    • N

      Not So SureOct 24, 2010 at 2:55 pm

      Who is saying they don’t get respect? Just because they don’t have an album review on this website does not mean that they aren’t respected.

      Reply
      • C

        Cool GuyOct 25, 2010 at 4:17 pm

        … More respect than Lil Wayne, I hope that cleared it up

        Reply
  • B

    bittOct 24, 2010 at 1:39 am

    Wayne is the best rapper in history period. The writer of this article is an idiot though. He obviously knows very little about Wayne claiming that the Carter 3 was his 3rd album and the IANAHB was an EP. It was originally going to be an EP but they decided to make it a full length album. Please do a little more homework to prevent writing an article full of incorrect facts.

    Reply
    • E

      Excuse Me, But...Oct 24, 2010 at 2:49 pm

      Do those two minor mistakes really make the writer of this article “an idiot”? You might want to rephrase your comment before you come off looking like “an idiot”.

      Reply
      • B

        bittOct 24, 2010 at 6:04 pm

        Actually, those were not the only two mistakes the writer made. He claimed that Lil Wayne started calling himself “The Best Rapper Alive” sometime in 2009. He actually started calling himself that when he came out with the song “The Best Rapper Alive” on his 2005 album The Carter 2…..yeah 2005 not 2009. Also, the way he describes Wayne sounds like something my parents would write; the writer seems out of touch with hip hop completely. That’s 4 mistakes on an article that is less than a page long. The you and the writer are both idiots, that is if your not the same person.

        Reply
        • G

          get outta hereOct 24, 2010 at 8:33 pm

          lets go thru ur mistakes mr bitt
          the album is called Tha* Carter 2
          also just cuz the author has a
          style of writing diffrent from what ur used to isnt a mistake

          Reply
  • S

    shaunOct 23, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    he a good POP singer he took timberlakes spot. not X’s he aint no rapper, his music has no meaning or soul. sucks im an alien. r u serious. just stop fool.no wonder whats rong with this world

    Reply