With his most recent release, enigmatic rapper Lil Wayne has assembled 10 tracks that aim to show off his Young Money crew and build hype toward upcoming album ‘Tha Carter IV.’ On those terms, ‘I Am Not a Human Being’ is a success. Don’t mistake the effort for a legitimate album, though: This is little more than a stopgap to keep fans happy.

‘I Am Not a Human Being’ is a bold statement. Lil Wayne has been saying this for a while now, and — like him or not — the prolific rapper has gone to considerable lengths to set himself apart from regular rappers. Last year gave rise to ‘Rebirth,’ a failed heavy metal-rock-rap endeavor that saw Lil Wayne exchanging his guns for guitars. The album was a severe disappointment to fans and critics alike, so Weezy was smart to ditch the gimmick and get back to rap. Although there are lingering traces of ‘Rebirth’ throughout his newest album, this is a refocused and rap-oriented Lil Wayne.

Yet ‘refocus’ shouldn’t be confused with real focus. This is just a collection of studio-mixed and mastered tracks, recorded before Lil Wayne went away to Rikers Island to serve his prison sentence for criminal possession of a weapon. Hence, these songs are representative of an unpredictable Lil Wayne, and the results are wholly entertaining, although inconsistent. Album opener ‘Gonorrhea’ captures this perfectly, a shameless concoction of vulgar one-liners and sex-related wordplay that will either induce laughs or groans. Despite the off-taste lyrics, the beat is catchy. This is Lil Wayne in full force, and no topic is off-limits.

‘Hold Up’ is more of a street banger with a thumping bass, featuring Young Money protégé T-Streets and impressive rhymes from Lil Wayne. Every line rings with a double meaning, and his delivery is so tight that many of the punch lines can be missed on the first listen. However, the song’s hook is weak, and T-Streets fails to impress, dialing in a generic and immediately forgettable verse. Fortunately, ‘With You’ is a stark departure from the first two tracks, sounding like a slower B-side of ‘Let the Beat Build.’ While Wayne is not known for being soulful, this track deserves credit. Drake sings a sweet chorus, and Wayne brings the wine and candles to this romantic ballad.

Title track ‘I Am Not a Human Being’ is a step backward, a cheap rap-rock Beastie Boys rip-off with bad mixing. Weezy sounds out of place over the distorted guitars and driving drums, and we are transported back to the dreaded ‘Rebirth’ days. This is easily the worst track on the album. Smartly, his third Drake collaboration in the collection, ‘I’m Single,’ slows down the pace. With little more than Wayne complaining about an ex-girl and praising his next set of girls, the song drags on too long.

‘What’s Wrong With Them’ features Young Money’s wonder woman Nicki Minaj, who doesn’t rap but contributes a nicely layered hook that effectively imitates pop queen Rihanna. ‘Right Above It’ is the smash hit of the album, featuring a memorable verse from Drake and an impossibly catchy beat. This track has been in heavy radio rotation for the past month and should remain one of the hottest rap singles of 2010. ‘Popular’ has a synthesized disco beat and some disposable sex rhymes that result in an overall weak track. ‘That Ain’t Me’ regains steam with a great opening verse and a strong hook by Jay Sean, and the Boi-1da produced ‘Bill Gates’ ends the album on a dark, ominous note.

All in all, ‘I Am Not a Human Being’ serves its main function: to build hype for ‘Tha Carter IV’ and keep Lil Wayne hot. That album will be very highly anticipated, so Lil Wayne is smart to put out a product like this some months beforehand. Yet ultimately, ‘I Am Not a Human Being’ will be remembered as just another one of Wayne’s mixtapes — enough hits and hot tracks to fill the gap until his next full-length album. At this point in his career, though, that’s an awfully human approach to take.

ajhaeder@syr.edu

Published on October 3, 2010 at 12:00 pm