"I Am Not a Human Being" Album Cover

Lil’ Wayne Impresses with New Album

By: Trevor Owens

Even the shackles of jail could not stop rapper Lil’ Wayne as he recently cranked out his eighth studio album “I Am Not a Human Being,” which placed on the top 20 in the Billboard Top 100 on its debut. With featured artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Twist, Jay Sean, and T Streets, Lil’ Wayne continues his dominance over the rap industry, with yet another smash hit.

After being convicted of a gun charge, Lil’ Wayne is wrapping up a prison sentence of eight months, (since March 8th of 2010 till November 4th 2010). In that time Lil’ Wayne (also known as Lil’ Weezy), has continued to be featured in hit songs such as “Miss Me”, and “I Made It”, even while his jail stay continues.

This album does not give the impression of soul-searching individual such as fellow former imprisoned singer Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”, in which he describes his own prison experience. Lil’ Wayne’s album is as far away from the regular sounds and themes of prison music by any means, and he only continues to use the same subject matter that helped to make him one of the best rap artists to date.

Even with this jail stay coming to an end, one can not help to think if his music style has changed and if we would see a different side to Lil’ Wayne, and that seems to not be the case with this one. Immediately you are hit with song “Bill Gates”, in which Lil’ Weezy lays claim to the verb “Bill Gatin”. The hit song of the album is clearly “Right Above It”, featuring Drake, that opened at number one on the Billboard’s Hot Digital Song’s Chart.

As the end date for Lil Wayne’s prison term nears, fans around the world will be waiting to see if he can raise the bar from this masterful album.