I’ve got to say one thing before I write anything else: Lil Wayne is irrelevant, to me at least. I’m probably harsher than I should be on a guy who’s dealt with prison by getting chopped and screwed by any means necessary since his release. Codeine, sizzurp, lean, whatever you want to call it, has been the death of Weezy.

The least conceptual album Wayne has ever put out, I Am Not a Human Being II plays as another “beat that p***y up” compilation set to the tune of a life no human could possibly believe exists.

“Love Me,” one of the album’s singles, wouldn’t be anything without Future and Drake. Future’s typically indiscernible hooks are easy to mumble along to and can be found a stones throw away on many of the bigger mixtapes that have come out this year. The chorus is simple, but kind of effective because of how little he cares, I think: “I’m on that good kush and alcohol/ I got some down bitches I can call/ I don’t know what I would do without ya’ll/ I’mma ball til the day I fall.”

Also, “Hot Relover” rises from the dead (it was released years ago)  and shows up near the end of the LP. It got reworked a little, but for the love of god make it stop!

Rikers had a bigger impact on his music career than anyone could ever have predicted. I think what I’m trying to say is that I am fully past the point of expecting to be impressed by any of Wayne’s new material. I used to sit in my room and skip meals in anticipation of one of his mixtapes dropping with a countdown. Now, I’m all “spaghetti and meatballs you say? OK, I’ll be right down. I could eat.”

With his release came a different Lil Wayne, a high schooler trying way to hard to get caught up on all of his homework in a single day. Do I think he would be riding this current trend if he had never gone to prison? 100% no. The fact that this is the reality right now sickens me.

The music world changed too suddenly, too unpredictably. Artists can now ride waves bigger than themselves into territories unbeknownst to past artists with the same skillset and approach to music. Thanks to the internet, anything is possible. Lil Wayne’s life had been undisguised and well-documented, but people no longer need to emulate him to reach the top. 

After listening, the first thought I had was, “How long did it take him to put this goddamn project together? A month? A few weeks? Is there a shred of originality? Like, if I’m a producer sitting in the studio with Weezy, and I’m listening to each of these tracks being churned out (especially “Hello”), how could I actually find it within myself to be all like “YEAH THAT SOUNDS TIGHT WAYNE. OH YOU WANT TO THROW A SKATERBOARDER ON THE TRACK TOO? OK THAT SOUNDS TIGHT.” I honestly need help trying to think of a good time to listen to this track.

I Am Not a Human Being II barely breaks ground on anything worth giving a second thought in my very humbled opinion. For something else fresh, check out Tyler, The Creator’s new album WOLF, guaranteed to be better and more creative in about every way a music nerd could possibly imagine. 

I could interject the whole “music is heard different by everyone” argument, but I honestly think this project isn’t worth purchasing. Throw me a comment below if you disagree and we’ll discuss.

1 measly star/5