Lil' Wayne

With his release from New York's Rikers Island prison imminent, former number one gunner Lil' Wayne launches his campaign to reclaim top spot with an acidic opening salvo in I Am Not A Human Being. Pieced together from cuts recorded before his trip "up north," the new disc finds Wayne in ferocious lyrical form, fighting tooth and nail to fill each sardonic phrase with equal parts wit and profanity. Lead track "Gonorrhea" proves Weezy's greatest attempt, as many of his repetitive themes and punch lines are at their cleverest here, a trait notably diminished by closer "Bill Gates," despite a number of smirk-worthy gems along the way. Respective romantic- and thug-directed tryst tales "With You" and "I'm Single" offer the album's lone respites from the MC's pervasive attack dog style, and while Young Money golden geese Drake and Nicki Minaj appear, their artistic impact is largely symbolic. Wayne's guttural verses perform the lion's share of the heavy lifting, and while not spectacular, manage to get the job done.