Lil Wayne has always differentiated himself from us mere mortals, something he clearly set out to prove again with I Am Not A Human Being II, his tenth (and possibly final) studio album. He's explored the outer limits of the rap game with this one, bringing fellow rappers 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj, Drake and Future along for the ride.
IANAHB2 is the sequel to Weezy’s 2009 album of the same name, which was digitally released right before he was checked into New York’s Riker’s Island for a nine-month sentence stemming from a gun possession charge.
The album begins with nothing but the New Orleans native and a piano on the title track. Ripe with metaphors and punchlines that we’ve come to love and expect from Wayne, it's a levelheaded beginning to an intense trip, like the briefing before the voyage - or the calm before the storm.
Even though he's currently on probation until November of this year, the Young Money general stays strapped on tracks such as ‘Gunwalk’ and ‘Trigger Finger.’ Throughout the 18-track album, he touches on few subjects other than drugs, sex and violence, but continuously comes up with clever and colorful ways to describe his favorite activities - "She about to blow me like a signing bonus", "She ride me like a drive-by", "I got her workin', twerkin' and slurpin' my serpent" and "I be grindin' these hoes like a half pipe", for example.
Hardly modest, at one point Wayne declares he’s a god and "should wear a turban". On 'Curtains', he bursts with braggadocio rhymes:
"I’ll punch your man in his eye, give him a shiner / I'll blind him, him and whoever cosign him / I get at 'em like Yolonda / Young Money Cash Money's Obama / It's fuck the world, no condom / If he twisted, I'll unwind him / And this pistol came with a silencer".
Wayne’s love for illegal substances has never been a secret, and on the chopped and screwed ‘Trippy’ collaboration with Juicy J, he pays homage to weed, pills and that purple stuff. It was only right to have the trippy king featured. After listening to this song, we come to understand exactly how Weezy stays so high above the clouds.
"I’m stoned, Mick Jagger, I can run around Saturn / Eyes rolling back and keep blinking like hazards / I said king me, king with my mushroom crown on / I graduated to better drugs, my cap and gown on / Don’t knock me off of my high horse / What I do is my choice / I’m high as the scoreboard / Bitch look up at my points / I’m trippin out, cotton mouth / I got high and fell asleep loaded / I woke up and got high again / Ok, I’m reloaded".
Unfortunately, less than two weeks before the release of IANAHB2, Wayne proved to be very human when he was hospitalized for six days after suffering from another bout of seizures. We all got quite the scare on March 15th - here's hoping he flies safely from now on.
On the other end of the spectrum, the realest and most reflective track on the album is ‘God Bless Amerika’: "Everybody wanna tell me what I need / You can play a role in my life but not the lead / If there’s food for thought then I’m guilty of greed / Mama said take what you want, I took heed". There are moments when Tunechi comes back down to earth.
Although he's one of the biggest names in rap, Wayne seems determined to have his presence felt in the world of rock as well, most recently demonstrated by his collaboration with the resurgent Limp Bizkit, who are newly signed to Cash Money:
The track brings to mind ‘Hello’ and ‘Hot Revolver’ (a Rebirth b-side) from IANAHB2. How're we feeling about Wayne's rock & roll capabilities at this point?
Other features on the album include Trina, Soulja Boy, Gudda Gudda, Gunplay, Boo, Dre, and Big Sean. With production from Detail, Cool & Dre, Diplo, David Banner and more, the feel of IANAHB2 has one whizzing past the planets with Lil' Wayne at the helm. It confirms that, one way or another, Weezy stays floating above his peers.
So far, devout fans seem highly pleased (pun intended) with the project. But although there are several standout tracks on the album, it's not as cohesive as his previous work. Each track is vastly different from the next, like snapshots of planets Wayne visited as he soared through outer space during the recording process. Like space travel, it can be disorienting at times. Despite Birdman's recent claims, it hardly recalls "the traditional Cash Money sound" (see 'Hello' and 'Hot Revolver').
Weezy has called himself the “best rapper alive”, and the first-week sales of Tha Carter III and IV (1,005,545 and 964,000, respectively) have helped bolster this claim. Whether IANAHB2 will see the same success remains to be seen.
We have a feeling this isn't the last we'll be hearing of Tunechi. Let us know what you think.