I Am Not a Human Being

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I Am Not a Human Being
Noah "40" Shebib
  • DVLP
  • Boi-1da
  • Mr. Pyro
  • Mike Banger
  • Matthew Burnett
    • Lil Wayne chronology
    Rebirth
    (2010)     		I Am Not a Human Being
    (2010)     		Sorry 4 the Wait
    (2011)
    Singles from I Am Not a Human Being
    1. "I'm Single"
      Released: May 10, 2010
    2. "Right Above It"
      Released: August 17, 2010

    I Am Not a Human Being is the eighth

    DJ Infamous
    .

    Upon its release, I Am Not a Human Being received generally positive reviews from music critics, who drew comparisons to Wayne's earlier works and considered the album to be an improvement over his previous album,

    platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[1]

    Background

    On August 4, 2010, Billboard announced that Lil Wayne would release an EP called I Am Not a Human Being and a single from the EP called "Right Above It". The single debuted on DJ Funkmaster Flex's show, which Lil Wayne called and gave an interview. The album is a prelude to Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter IV.[2]

    "I'm putting out a [Wayne] album called I Am Not a Human Being and I'll probably drop it on his birthday, September 27...I'm not even putting it out in stores. We just gonna put it out virally and maybe package it up for Christmas. Give 'em a hard copy later for fan appreciation."[3]

    Nicki Minaj was featured on the songs "What's Wrong with Them" and "YM Salute"

    Drake, Jay Sean, Lil Twist, Nicki Minaj, Jae Millz, Tyga, Gudda Gudda, Lil Chuckee and T-Streets are all guests on the album.[4][5]

    Vibe magazine spoke with the DJ Scoob Doo about Tha Carter IV and I Am Not a Human Being, who said, "I got videos for the Carter IV and the I’m not a Human Being EP all ready. I can’t say the name of the song but Wayne was singing on the hook, but they’re getting Drake to re-do it and it’s off the Human Being EP,” Scoob Doo says. “Carter IV is probably the best album I’ve heard in the last decade, but Wayne is such a different artist now that he wants to record new music when he comes home. The stuff he’s talking about now is just on another level. That’s why a lot of the songs on the EP were originally taken from the Carter IV.”[6]

    Lil Wayne's manager Cortez Bryant told SPIN that I Am Not a Human Being would actually be a full-length album. Initially, the tracks were to be appear on Tha Carter IV, but Wayne decided to put the old tracks on the album so new music could be recorded for Tha Carter IV.[7]

    He uses no

    autotune on the album: according to Birdman, it's just "raw rap".[8]

    The production to bonus track "YM Salute" was originally recorded by

    Young Jeezy and Ester Dean
    as potential material for Young Jeezy's forthcoming album TM 103.

    The song "I Don't Like The Look Of It" was originally released on Gudda Gudda's 2010 mixtape "Back 2 Guddaville" with a different beat under the title "Willy Wonka". The instrumental was changed when it was released on this album due to sample clearance issues.[9]

    Release and promotion

    The last three tracks featured on the album's physical CD release, "YM Banger", "YM Salute", and "I Don't Like The Look Of It", were not initially included on the digital download version of the album:[10] however, after the physical CD version was released, the tracks were added to the digital version of the album.

    The album's lead single, "

    Hot Digital Songs
    chart.

    "What's Wrong With Them" received strong download sales in the UK during the album's release and as such, the track charted on the

    UK R&B Chart, peaking at number 27.[11]

    Critical reception

    Professional ratings
    Aggregate scores
    SourceRating
    Pitchfork Media
    		6.7/10[19]
    Rolling Stone[20]
    Slant Magazine[21]
    Spin6/10[22]
    USA Today[23]

    I Am Not a Human Being received generally positive reviews from

    Allmusic's David Jeffries stated, "This is too short and scattered to put on his top shelf, but it comes awfully close, which is downright astonishing considering the circumstances."[14] Luke Bainsbridge of The Observer called the album "a return to classic Weezy".[24] Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen commended its "unadulterated fun" and Wayne's "irrepressibly wacked-out spirit", writing that the album "has the loose-limbed feel of the rapper's many mixtapes".[20] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club commented that, "though Human Being feels more like a mix-tape stopgap than a proper album, it's nevertheless full of intriguing experiments and infectious tracks."[15] Ben Detrick of Spin found its production "unfashionable", but stated "Though this is a flawed and scattershot project, Wayne remains an artist who makes music like a pâtissier–his songs are frivolous, delicious, and meant to be relished for just a moment".[22] In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention ((3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)), picking out three songs from the album ("I Am Not a Human Being", "Popular" and "I'm Single"), and said of Lil Wayne, "His throwaways beat their keepers, from solitary yet, but the true classics are all in the middle and the Young Money promos are filler."[25] Uncut gave the album four stars out of five and called it "a far superior effort [than Rebirth]."[26] Billboard gave it a score of 77 out of 100 and said it was "not as experimental as the rapper's previous rock-tinged "Rebirth" set that arrived earlier this year, and most fans will likely appreciate this."[27] Wilson McBee of Prefix Magazine gave the album a score of 7.5 out of ten and said that "For most of [the album], it seems like Wayne has forgotten how to write a verse. He's all about couplets now."[28]

    Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal wrote, "We get Wayne spouting classic Weezy-isms—explicit sex, cartoonish gunplay, and allusions to the intricacies of the digestive system abound—over at-least-decent original beats", but noted that "there's a lingering sense that the rapper is not in top gear; his flow is often slow and static, his wordplay lively yet less energized than what we're now used to."[19] Entertainment Weekly's Brad Wete called the album "stale" and wrote that "none of the new songs on this set hold a candle to [No Ceilings], much less... Tha Carter III".[16] Andy Gill of The Independent gave the album three stars out of five and called it "a perfunctory affair".[29] The Boston Globe's Julian Benbow wrote that "the sharper moments [...] are drowned out by the redundant ones".[30] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called it "an uncentered collection of odds and ends", writing that "Too often Lil Wayne lapses into predictable flow structures, quick ideas paired with built-in rejoinders: 'They say money talks/ but it’s my spokesperson,' and so on".[31] Slant's Jesse Cataldo perceived "half-assed rhyme work" from Wayne and called it "kind of a crummy album, rife with laziness and repetition ... It may have a decidedly lazy presentation, but I Am Not a Human Being inevitably succeeds at what it sets out to do: remind us of Wayne's artistic validity and whetting our appetite for more."[21] David Pott-Negrine of Drowned in Sound gave it a score of six out of ten and said, "It may not be a great or even particularly good album, but it does at least tide us over until Weezy become[s] a free man, and the much talked about Tha Carter IV finally sees the light of day."[32] Sean L. Maloney of American Songwriter gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of five and said of Lil Wayne, "he's just killing time with sub-par versions of his far more popular songs – this is a completely superfluous release that lacks the relevance and immediacy of his mixtape works and the quality-control of his albums."[33]

    Commercial performance

    I Am Not a Human Being debuted at number two on the US

    platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a million units in the United States.[1]

    Track listing

    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    1."Gonorrhea" (featuring
    Sidney Brown, Christopher Gibson, Matthew Samuels, Dalton Tennant
    		Noah "40" Shebib, Omen (co.)5:33
    6."What's Wrong with Them" (featuring Nicki Minaj)Carter, Onika Maraj, Bigram ZayasDevelop3:31
    7."Right Above It" (featuring Drake)Carter, Graham, Johnson, Andrew CantonKane Beatz4:32
    8."Popular" (featuring Lil Twist)Carter, Andre Lyon, Christopher Moore, Marcello ValenzanoCool & Dre4:40
    9."That Ain't Me" (featuring Jay Sean)Carter, Warwar, Kamaljit Jhooti, Roger Pasco, AielloStreetrunner4:03
    10."Bill Gates"Carter, Matthew Samuels, Matthew BurnettBoi-1da, Burnett (add.)4:19
    11."YM Banger" (featuring Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz and Tyga)Carter, Carl Lilly, Jarvis Mills, Michael StevensonMike Banger3:55
    12."YM Salute" (featuring Lil Twist, Lil Chuckee, Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz and Nicki Minaj)Carter, Daen Simmons, Maraj, Moore, Lilly, Mills, Rashad BallardMr. Pyro5:14
    13."I Don't Like the Look of It" (featuring Gudda Gudda)Carter, Lilly, Rondell Cobbs IIMr. Beatz3:18
    Total length:55:42

     • (co.) Co-producer
     • (add.) Additional production

    Personnel

    Credits for I Am Not a Human Being adapted from

    Allmusic.[39]

    • Alton Bates, Jr. – recording assistant
    • Joshua Berkman – A&R
    • Boi-1da – producer
    • Cortez Bryant – executive producer
    • Matthew Burnett – additional production
    • Michael "Banger" Cadahia – engineer, mixing, producer
    • Noel Cadastre – mixing assistant
    • Dwayne "Tha President" Carter – executive producer
    • Ariel Chobaz – engineer
    • Cool – producer
    • Andrews Correa – engineer
    • Drew Correa – producer
    • DJ Folk – production co-ordination
    • Elizabeth Gallardo – mixing assistant
    • Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering
    • I.L.O. – additional production, keyboards
    • DJ Infamous – producer
    • Kane Beatz – producer
    • Edward "Jewfro" Lidow – recording assistant
    • Mack Maine – executive producer
    • Mr. Beatz – producer
    • Mr. Pyro – producer
    • The Olympics – producer
    • Fareed Salamah – digital editing
    • Noah Shebib – engineer, mixing, producer
    • Streetrunner – producer
    • Finis "KY" White – engineer
    • Bryan "Baby Birdman" Williams – executive producer
    • Ronald "Slim Tha Don" Williams – executive producer
    • Kevin Zulueta – engineer

    Charts

    Certifications

    Region Certification Certified units/sales
    United States (RIAA)[1] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

    ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

    Release history

    Country Date Format Label
    United States September 27, 2010[53] Digital download
    Universal Motown
    October 12, 2010[54]
    CD
    United Kingdom October 18, 2010[55] CD Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Island
    October 22, 2010[56] Digital download

    References

    1. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Lil Wayne – I Am Not a Human Being". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
    2. ^ Ziegbe, Mawuse (July 9, 2010). "Lil Wayne Dropping New EP In September". MTV. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
    3. ^ Harper, Rosario (July 9, 2010). "Lil Wayne Putting Out "I'm Not A Human Being" EP On 27th Birthday". Sohh.Com. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
    4. ^ "Birdman Speaks On 50 Cent, Turk & Lil Wayne". Down-South.com. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
    5. ^ "Lil Twist Talks New Album, Career, Friendship With Justin Bieber". Allhiphop.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
    6. ^ "DJ Scoob Doo Speaks On Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV & I'm Not A Human Being". Lil Wayne HQ. September 2, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
    7. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Preview Lil Wayne's New Album". SPIN. September 17, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
      - "Lil Wayne EP Now Full LP". Rap Radar. September 17, 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
    8. ^ Vasquez, Andres (September 27, 2010). "Lil Wayne Drops Vocoder and Returns to "Raw Rap," According to Birdman". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
    9. ^ "Back 2 Guddaville Mixtape by Gudda Gudda Hosted by Dj Ill Will & Dj Rockstar". DatPiff.
    10. ^ Reid, Shaheem (September 27, 2010). "Lil Wayne's I Am Not A Human Being: Otherworldly Flows And STDs". MTV. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
    11. ^ "Archive Chart". Official Charts Company. October 16, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
    12. ^ "I Am Not a Human Being by Lil Wayne reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
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    14. ^
      Allmusic
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    15. ^ a b Rabin, Nathan (November 9, 2010). "Lil Wayne: I Am Not A Human Being". The A.V. Club. Chicago. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
    16. ^ a b Wete, Brad (October 15, 2010). "I Am Not a Human Being Review", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
    17. ^ a b Weiss, Jeff (October 12, 2010). "Album review: Lil Wayne's 'I Am Not a Human Being'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
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    23. ^ Jones, Steve (September 28, 2010). "Lil Wayne, I Am Not a Human Being: On a Planet All His Own". USA Today. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
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    25. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lil Wayne". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
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    28. ^ McBee, Wilson (October 4, 2010). "Album Review: Lil Wayne - I'm Not a Human Being EP". Prefix. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
    29. ^ Gill, Andy (October 15, 2010). "Album: Lil Wayne, I Am Not A Human Being (Island)", The Independent. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
    30. ^ Benbow, Julian (October 18, 2010). "Lil Wayne, 'I Am Not a Human Being'", The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
    31. ^ Caramanica, Jon (October 10, 2010). "New CDs (Lil Wayne: 'I Am Not a Human Being')", The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
    32. ^ Pott-Negrine, David (October 28, 2010). "Lil' Wayne - I Am Not A Human Being". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
    33. ^ Maloney, Sean L. (October 12, 2010). "Lil Wayne: I Am Not A Human Being". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
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    40. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 166.
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    External links

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