So if you live under a rock, then you haven't heard that Lil' Wayne was released from prison today after an 8 month stint. So with this news I thought it would be appropriate to review the EP-turned-album he released from prison, "I Am Not A Human Being". Now even though between Nicki Minaj and Drizzy Drake Young Money has released enough stuff to keep them afloat for quite some time, things always seem empty with out a leader; enter Weezy.
The title itself, "I Am Not A Human Being", is Lil' Wayne's persona, a rapper with material out of this world and beats produced by aliens, and he puts all of that into effect in the first track "Gonorrhea" ft. Drake. The track has plenty of spacey synths and a nice flow from Weezy. Drake fills all the voids in the beat with his nonstop verses to keep the balance to carry the song to the end. Weezy continues his space beat journey throughout "Hold Up" ft. T-Streets and I think it's a pretty similar formula to "Gonorrhea"; tight flows, spaced out beats, and featuring someone to carry the track home.
"With You" ft. Drake is the type of song that Weezy has always struggled to hit home with. The slow, "this song's for you" type deal. Verses aren't bad and Drake's chorus isn't terrible, but this is the black sheep of the album.
And then come's the anthem of the album. "I Am Not A Human Being" (little known fact ft. Travis Barker) is Lil' Wayne's dream beat, his fantasy as a rocker. We all know it fell face first on the pavement with his last release "Rebirth" but now he has found a good balance between what he is known for and what he wants. The heavy drums and guitar chords mashed against the synths and android type sounds make for a banger, and then he spits his usual wordplay lyrics over it to produce gold.
"I'm Single" again ft. Drake is a more mellow and very tingy beat that Wayne just want's to get off him chest. It's not a bad song and the beats fit in along with the rest of the album, but it didn't really hit home with me. Probably what I think will go as the most over passed song on this album is "What's Wrong With Them" ft. Nicki Minaj. It probably could have been better if it was more of a feature for Nicki because, again if you live under a rock, she destroys on the beat. It's a bass heavy track with the synths (get used to it) and I think probably a very radio worthy song.
The most known song on this album is obviously "Right Above It" ft. Drake. With more of an instrumental approach, it's a song for the masses. Drake kicks things off with very Weezy-esq verses then Wayne takes it home. There's really nothing else to say about it. You've heard the song on the radio and in the clubs. It's popular and that's what he wanted.
"Popular" ft. Lil' Twist is probably the weakest song in the track list. With a repetitive beat that adds absolutely nothing and the use of Weezy's verse from the "Bedrock" remix it's pretty boring. Sadly, Lil' Twist's chorus is the highlight of this track in my opinion. Then there's "That Ain't Me" ft. Jay Sean. It resorts back to the beats that got Lil' Wayne to where he is now and Jay Sean's chorus is a nice touch.
The last listed track on the album is "Bill Gates" and I have to say, he certainly saved one of the best for last. One of the harder tracks with instrumentals and a snare heavy beat it adds to the diversity of this album.
The two bonus tracks "YM Banger" and "YM Salute" are basically just features for all the members of Young Money with Lil' Wayne's spaced out beats in the background. With what you can hear in these two songs, let's just say Young Money is here to stay for quite some time.
Overall, it would have been better as an EP but it's diverse enough to keep every Lil' Wayne fan's interest. This album is definitely a statement that claims "I'm Back" from Weezy and I look forward to more mixtapes and hopefully another album release soon.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
A New Breed of Holiday
So it's that one time of the year again. The nights that give an excuse for the ladies to wear as little as possible and guys the excuse to be bros. Yes, I'm talking about Halloween. Unfortunately this year, I have to bartend for the festivities so I will not be celebrating. However, I'm talking this chance to remember my Halloweens past in the Zoo of Amherst (UMass Amherst).
Freshman year... that awkward time where you're still trying to figure college out and how to be cool. Halloween is the second biggest party time for colleges (I think homecoming is first but that's just me) and this would be a freshman's chance to shine. From what I recall that weekend, it was certainly a success for myself and my friends. Our plans for that evening consisted of dressing in ridiculous costumes and traveling to "The Brown House" where we had been making some friends. What was my rediculous costume you ask? Well let's just say I had on some girls shorts and a sweet headband... So anyways, off we went. Much to our surprise, this party was fully prepared to be a rager. DJ booth, metal barrels filled with liquids (you know what I mean), and plenty of people. Good thing we took pictures because this was one of the best nights up in Amherst.
Sophomore year... this was a year to establish a few things; where the party was, who you went out with most of the time, the important things in life. I thought it would be a good idea to expanded the Halloween celebrations to a three day schedule... it made sense at the time. However, three days to party means being creative enough to make three different costumes. I came up with lumberjack, soccer player, and Johnny Appleseed (definitely my best). Night #1, I think everyone went to the same party because I saw almost everyone I knew (well not everyone but) unexpectedly. Lot's of dancing, lots of people, I'm sure you know the rest of the story. Night #2, we made our own party. My friends and I are a pretty lazy group and if we don't feel like going out we made the parties come to us. Fortunate enough, people didn't feel like traveling too far to have a good time. So rager in the rooms. Then came night #3. Let's just say I like long walks on the side of the road. It just started poorly then steadily slid downhill from there. I always manage to make my own fun and tried turing it into the best night possible. But as the night drew to an end, we did eventually have to go home. We forgot this part of the night and didn't quite plan accordingly. And so began the 3 mile walk home... with our friends in high heels... and skimpy outfits... yeah wasn't so fun.
And here we are today. The saturday before Halloween. The night everyone is going bananas. Going to be a bar filled with characters and I will be having a front row seat for all of the ensuing action. I hope your festivities will make your parents proud... or not who really cares.
Freshman year... that awkward time where you're still trying to figure college out and how to be cool. Halloween is the second biggest party time for colleges (I think homecoming is first but that's just me) and this would be a freshman's chance to shine. From what I recall that weekend, it was certainly a success for myself and my friends. Our plans for that evening consisted of dressing in ridiculous costumes and traveling to "The Brown House" where we had been making some friends. What was my rediculous costume you ask? Well let's just say I had on some girls shorts and a sweet headband... So anyways, off we went. Much to our surprise, this party was fully prepared to be a rager. DJ booth, metal barrels filled with liquids (you know what I mean), and plenty of people. Good thing we took pictures because this was one of the best nights up in Amherst.
Sophomore year... this was a year to establish a few things; where the party was, who you went out with most of the time, the important things in life. I thought it would be a good idea to expanded the Halloween celebrations to a three day schedule... it made sense at the time. However, three days to party means being creative enough to make three different costumes. I came up with lumberjack, soccer player, and Johnny Appleseed (definitely my best). Night #1, I think everyone went to the same party because I saw almost everyone I knew (well not everyone but) unexpectedly. Lot's of dancing, lots of people, I'm sure you know the rest of the story. Night #2, we made our own party. My friends and I are a pretty lazy group and if we don't feel like going out we made the parties come to us. Fortunate enough, people didn't feel like traveling too far to have a good time. So rager in the rooms. Then came night #3. Let's just say I like long walks on the side of the road. It just started poorly then steadily slid downhill from there. I always manage to make my own fun and tried turing it into the best night possible. But as the night drew to an end, we did eventually have to go home. We forgot this part of the night and didn't quite plan accordingly. And so began the 3 mile walk home... with our friends in high heels... and skimpy outfits... yeah wasn't so fun.
And here we are today. The saturday before Halloween. The night everyone is going bananas. Going to be a bar filled with characters and I will be having a front row seat for all of the ensuing action. I hope your festivities will make your parents proud... or not who really cares.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Overdue Introduction
Hey World. For those of you who don't know me my name is Ian aka The Rooster. I'm a musician, a dj, an album reviewer, and I love my sports. I'm a 20 year old college student with a bunch of jobs and I probably over work myself, but I like what I do. I've been meaning to get around to the whole blogging scene but been a bit busy. Ya know the whole school work and real work and social life type deal. But here it is, my attempts at writing to the masses.
What do I plan to accomplish through these blogs you ask? Well, mainly to review music; mixtapes, singles, albums, concerts I go to; anything I can really think of. But also I'll talk some sports, maybe some movies, or just maybe talk, who knows really. I'm open to a lot of feedback and like adapting to the input, seeing as how I have little experience doing this.
Anyways, enough about me. Welcome to the blog. Hope you enjoy it.
What do I plan to accomplish through these blogs you ask? Well, mainly to review music; mixtapes, singles, albums, concerts I go to; anything I can really think of. But also I'll talk some sports, maybe some movies, or just maybe talk, who knows really. I'm open to a lot of feedback and like adapting to the input, seeing as how I have little experience doing this.
Anyways, enough about me. Welcome to the blog. Hope you enjoy it.
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