.
http://www.rollingstone.com/assets/images/album_review/9e80f7d4dc05f6fd079ec64da684ae60d5727583.jpg I Am Not a Human Being

Lil Wayne

I Am Not a Human Being

Cash Money/Young Money
Rolling Stone: star rating
Community: star rating
5 4 0
September 29, 2010

What'd you expect, At Folsom Prison? Lil Wayne has released his eighth studio album while still incarcerated on New York's Rikers Island, serving the final weeks of a sentence for attempted criminal possession of a weapon. But gritty jailhouse music this ain't. I Am Not a Human Being, which Wayne cut before leaving for prison, is a party from the start. The record opens with Wayne and Drake dropping raunchy boasts (and STD-themed insults) over a jittery synth-swathed beat. "I am not a human/Shout to all my moon men," Weezy raps. You can lock up Lil Wayne, but his wacked-out spirit remains somewhere way out there in the Milky Way.

Related Lil Wayne's World: Weezy's Journey From Hip-Hop Pioneer to Aspiring Rock & Roll Star

The album has the loose-limbed feel of the rapper's many mixtapes. There are spirited guest appearances by Wayne's Young Money protégés Nicki Minaj and Lil Twist, and beats that range from the power-chord-packed rock rap of the title track to the sultry hip-hop/doo-wop of "With You." In Wayne's patented way, the songs feel tossed-off: He has a gift for making virtuosity sound casual, while delivering laugh-out-loud punch lines every few seconds. He coins a new verb ("Bill Gatin' ") and rhymes "fornicate" with "pajamas say," "pronunciate," "ovulate" and "time of day." You won't hear a funnier record all year. Jailbird or civilian, human or moon man, Lil Wayne is pop's most reliable deliverer of unadulterated fun. He's also the greatest rapper alive.

Related Keep up with rock's hottest photos in Random Notes

prev
Album Review Main Next

ADD A COMMENT

Community Guidelines »
loading comments

loading comments...

COMMENTS

Sort by:
    Read More

    Music Reviews

    more Reviews »
    Daily Newsletter

    Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

    Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
    marketing partners.

    X

    We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

    Song Stories

    “My President”

    Young Jeezy | 2008

    Young Jeezy teams up with Nas on this track, in which he compare his own success with the idea of an African-American winning the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2008 presidential election. "When I pulled up in my car, that s--- was unbelievable to people in my neighborhood because they were like, 'We grew up with him. How the hell did he accomplish this?'" he told Rolling Stone. "I feel like it was the same way with Obama. I grew up all this time, but I've never seen a black man this close to running this country."

    More Song Stories entries »