Music

5 Thoughts About Lil Wayne's New Album and the Events Surrounding It

I Am Not A Human Being II is out today. Here are some first impressions.

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Lil Wayne's new album, I Am Not A Human Being II, hits stores today. After a much-publicized health scare just over a week ago, it's particularly interesting to see where Weezy was at creatively and mentally in the time leading up to that fateful moment. After a number of listens, here are some quick first impressions that we have.

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It's weird to hear Lil Wayne rapping about drugs after he nearly died because of them.

"Medicine, I treat it like peppermints" is the fourth line on I Am Not A Human Being II. What follows is an album full of similar, drug-fueled boasts: "Ain't nothing sweet but the codeine," "I graduated to better drugs," and "I got Xanax, Percocet, promethazine with codeine." While there's a bit of punk rock ethos associated with Wayne's disregard for his health, much of it is concerning, especially less than two weeks after TMZ reported that he was being read his last rites after a syrup bender. Six years ago, Wayne told us: "Weed and syrup 'til I die. As a matter of fact, it's gon kill me, bitch." Let's hope that's not a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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Sex is clearly the only thing that inspires him.

If the material on I Am Not A Human Being II is any indication, the only thing Wayne prioritizes more than drugs is sex. The first line on the album is about how his "dick could be the next black president," and over the course of the project, there are literally hundreds of references to his dick, what he does with it, pussy, and what he does to it. The "Pussy, Money, Weed" mantra remains intact.

Going to jail for weapons possession hasn't changed his outlook on guns.

"I'm a strapped up, nigga. Fuck a gun law." That's the chorus to the aptly-titled "Gunwalk" and also an accurate depiction of Wayne's post-incarceration attitude towards firearms. While "Curtains" does acknowledge that he spent his birthday in jail because he was "making bad decisions," there's little remorse on the rest of the record. Whether it's song titles like "Trigger Finger" or the endless threats to shoot down his enemies, imprisonment hasn't changed the fact that Weezy still loves weapons.

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The album is still going to sell a ton of copies.

A lot of people think Tha Carter IV is Lil Wayne's worst album, and a lot of people were shocked when it sold close to one million copies in its first week of release. They shouldn't have been, and certainly no one should be surprised when I Am Not A Human Being II puts up massive sales numbers, as well. It's already the No. 1 album on iTunes, across all genres. Wayne is a pop culture fixture, and much of his fan base isn't even privy to the criticisms that have been leveled at him during this latter portion of his career.

Lil Wayne and his camp can't possibly hate TMZ that much.

When TMZ tried to prematurely kill off Lil Wayne just over a week ago, there was one strong sentiment from his associates: "FUCK TMZ." Then, exactly one week after the incident, Lil Wayne and T.I. (who was very vocal about his contempt for TMZ during Wayne's hospitalization) announced their America's Most Wanted tour...in a video that was given to TMZ exclusively. It makes you wonder if Wayne's health scare was a well-orchestrated publicity stunt. Maybe he's just really good at not holding grudges.

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