Mackenzie Cummings-Grady Journal Staff
Self-proclaimed as the best rapper alive, Lil Wayne has certainly had a long and illustrious rap career. Starting at the age of nine he has escalated to be one of the most popular rappers ever. He returned last week with his release of I Am Not a Human Being 2, the follow up to his unsuccessful mixtape/album release I Am Not A Human Being in 2010. I was surprised when I heard that IANAHB was getting a sequel, as I thought that was one of Weezy’s weakest attempts. Howver, if the second part of this saga was anything like Tha Carter IV, I was well on board with it.
It had been a while since Wayne released anything substantially new (unless you like listening to “Love Me” for the 100th time on the radio). While a few party worthy gems make up IANAHB 2, the majority of the album seems rushed, and not as hyped or well promoted as Tha Carter IV was in 2011. IANAHB 2 barely made the iTunes top ten, and sold less than any “Weezy” album ever. It seems Wayne is only half-interested in the tracks, and does not have the same power and prescience he used to. He continually raps about sex, drugs and money, without offering any lyricism that the listener can take seriously. The three tracks that will at least get your head nodding are “Rich As F*ck” “Gunwalk” and “No Worries,” all of which contain shallow lyrics about sex and making money. However for the most part in the place of songs like “Mirror” are shallow and bland attempts.
The beats, overall, are awful. The obnoxious high hats of “Trigger Finger,” the awkward rock influences on “Hot Revolver,” and I have no idea what’s going on in “Lay Me Down.” While the range of features from Nicki Minaj to hip-hop veteran Dr. Dre are impressive, it is not enough to save the tracks from becoming insipid and repetitive. While I believe Wayne is one of the hardest working rappers in the game, he has to mold his craft with the ever-changing times. Swag Rap is a dying breed. With the recent success of Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore, provocative lyricism about struggle and positive moral ambitions are what sell in 2013. Weezy’s recent OD brought with it a loss of fan base for the rapper.
His escalating ego is turning into weak songs. It seems he is no longer concerned with working hard but just maintaining his “ultimate high” of codeine and marijuana. It would have been a much better album if Wayne went into his life, perhaps even into the OD, and discussed his future.
At this point I do not know what’s in store for Wayne, he already retired once before, hopefully the second time is around the corner because IANAHB 2 is not even worth a listen, and contains nothing unique that Lil Wayne should be proud of. Spend your time waiting for Major Lazer’s new release, or dare I say Fall Out Boy’s.
