Maps of Music

I Am Not a Human Being (2010)

Where the lyrics of I Am Not a Human Being take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded before its artist went to prison, this album still reached number one on the Billboard 200 while he was behind bars.

Place unknown

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I Am Not a Human Being: eighth studio album by the American rapper Lil Wayne
Digital release on 27 September 2010, Wayne's 28th birthday
CD release on 12 October 2010 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown
Housed in a standard transparent jewel case with a 12-page booklet
Recorded before Wayne's eight-month prison term for criminal possession of a weapon

Billboard announced on 4 August 2010 that Wayne would release an EP called I Am Not a Human Being
The project was later treated as a full-length album
The album is a prelude to Tha Carter IV
Tracks were first meant for Tha Carter IV; Wayne used the older tracks here so new music could be recorded for Tha Carter IV
Guests: Drake, Jay Sean, Lil Twist, Nicki Minaj, Jae Millz, Tyga, Gudda Gudda, Lil Chuckee and T-Streets
No Auto-Tune is used; according to Birdman, the record is just 'raw rap'

Production by Wayne and several producers, including Boi-1da, Cool & Dre, Streetrunner, Noah '40' Shebib and DJ Infamous
Bonus track 'YM Salute' was originally recorded by Young Jeezy and Ester Dean as possible material for Jeezy's forthcoming album TM 103
'I Don't Like The Look Of It' first came out on Gudda Gudda's 2010 mixtape with a different beat under the title 'Willy Wonka'
The instrumental was changed for this album because of sample clearance issues

Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans; signed to Cash Money Records at age 11 after being discovered by Birdman in 1993.
Early career as B.G.'z and then Hot Boys (formed 1997) with Juvenile, B.G. and Turk; the group reached mainstream success with Guerrilla Warfare (1999).
Solo breakthrough with Tha Block Is Hot (1999), certified platinum within a month of release.
Tha Carter III (2008) sold over 1 million copies in its first week and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album; its single "Lollipop" topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Founded Young Money Entertainment in 2005; the label signed Drake, Tyga and Nicki Minaj.
Has sold over 120 million records worldwide and won five Grammy Awards.
Released Tha Carter VI in 2025 and was named the first male artist to surpass Elvis Presley in Hot 100 entries.

Often described as one of the most influential artists of the 21st century.
His style and use of Auto-Tune influenced modern hip-hop, especially the development of trap.

Generally positive reviews from music critics, with comparisons to Wayne's earlier works
Critics considered the album an improvement over his previous album, Rebirth
Metacritic average: 67, based on 17 reviews
AllMusic's David Jeffries: too short and scattered for his top shelf, but it comes close
The Observer's Luke Bainsbridge: a return to classic Weezy
Rolling Stone's Jody Rosen: praised the unadulterated fun and Wayne's wacked-out spirit
The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin: feels more like a mix-tape stopgap, yet full of intriguing experiments
Spin's Ben Detrick: production called unfashionable, but the project is flawed and scattershot
Uncut: four stars out of five, a far superior effort than Rebirth
Billboard: 77 out of 100, not as experimental as Rebirth
Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal: the rapper does not seem to be in top gear
Entertainment Weekly's Brad Wete: called the album stale

Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week digital sales alone
Fell to number 16 in its second week
Topped the Billboard 200 after the CD release, selling 125,000 copies in its third week
Lil Wayne's second number-one album and seventh top-ten album in the US
First studio album since Tupac's Me Against the World (1995) to reach the top of the Billboard 200 while its artist was in prison
Lead single 'Right Above It' featuring Drake debuted at number six on the Hot 100 and at number one on Hot Digital Songs
By September 2011: 953,000 sold in the US and 1.6 million worldwide
RIAA platinum certification on 25 September 2020

Released on Wayne's 28th birthday, 27 September 2010, with the CD following on 12 October
Three tracks, 'YM Banger', 'YM Salute' and 'I Don't Like The Look Of It', were missing from the digital version at first and were added after the CD release
Cortez Bryant told SPIN the record would be a full-length album, though the tracks were first meant for Tha Carter IV
Robert Christgau gave a three-star honorable mention and picked out three songs from the album
The album came out while Wayne was in prison, and it was later certified platinum in 2020