I Am Not a Human Being: The Martian Is Back

Ned Hardy ’13
Staff Writer

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.