The “martian,” after showing his mortal side with a series of seizures this past month, is back in his I’m-out-of-this world-mentality with his new album, “I Am Not A Human Being II,” which was released on March 26. With this sequel to his eighth studio album “I Am Not A Human Being,” Lil Wayne continues to boast about how much different he is than all of us on “IANAHB II.”
“IANAHB II” starts off with the sound of Lil Wayne striking his lighter, inhaling, and exhaling smoke — a sound that’s become all too familiar with his fans. You might expect the opening track to blast through your speakers like all of Wayne’s opening tracks, but this song is different. Adding to the long list of features on this album, Wayne enlists the help of Jazz pianist Eric “ELEW” Lewis and begins with an amazing piano solo two minutes into the track. Wayne snarls his way through the track with the wacky and creative lyrics we love him for.
However, the introduction is the only thing that is exciting and new on this album. “IANAHB II” falls short of being a classic Lil Wayne effort like the previous two entries in “Tha Carter” series. With “IANAHB II,” Wayne does not push any new boundaries. He’s arguably the most popular rapper on the planet, has several RIAA certified albums, is the CEO of a musical empire and has a clothing company. His fan base continues to grow. What more does Wayne have to do or prove?
In an interview with DJ Drama on DJ Drama’s radio show last August, Wayne said, “It does get pretty boring when it comes to the rapping … I’ve been doing it since I was 8. I’m about to be 30 in September.” It is evident that Lil Wayne seems to be bored with rap these days seeing how over the past five years, we’ve gotten inconsistent albums since his critically acclaimed multi-platinum album, “Tha Carter III.”
The Lil Wayne of today is not the Lil Wayne of the past who dominated the world of hip hop between 2004 and 2008 with his mix tape and album series “Da Drought,” “Dedication” and “Tha Carter.” Wayne used to be a much hungrier rapper and consistently released new material, making claims that he was the “rapper eater” and “the greatest rapper alive.” We can only reminisce of those days.
“IANAHB II” is a boring album. Lil Wayne, because of his status as an icon of hip hop, doesn’t seem to be as invested as he once was in his previous work. After a strong intro, “IANAHB II” is a downward spiral of Lil Wayne talking about his genitals, how much he loves female genitals and what he does when engaging in sexual acts. It’s the typical sex, drugs, and violence that Lil Wayne is known for, and it’s becoming pretty stale.
“IANAHB II” does have its standout tracks. On “Rich as F***,” Wayne delivers a fun and catchy flow full of Twitter-worthy quotes. “Love Me,” the Mike WiLL-produced single, sees Wayne, with the help of Drake and Future, go back to rare form with an infectious club anthem that has you rhyming along with the track. “Days and Days” is an unexpected event as Wayne and 2 Chainz trade lyric after lyric without caring what anyone thinks.
Despite these few bearable singles, “IANAHB II” is another Wayne album to put on the sub-par, post-Carter III era list. Wayne, the greatest rapper alive, seems to be losing his shine as we come closer and closer to his evident retirement. “Tha Carter V” seems to be the last release to cement Wayne’s place as one of the greatest rappers alive, as retirement rumors are looming.
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