I Am Not A Human Being

Album: I Am Not A Human Being (2010)
Charted: 65
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the title track of the eighth studio album by rapper Lil Wayne. The record was released digitally on September 27, 2010, the Cash Money Records star's birthday, during his incarceration in jail on weapon possession charges.
  • Director David Rousseau shot the song's music video before Wayne's spell in prison. It was one of a dozen clips that the duo shot before the rapper's incarceration. Rousseau told MTV News that when he sat down to work with all the material after Wayne turned himself in to a New York City prison, he just had to listen to the lyrics and portray the MC in an abstract sense, which includes contrasting shots of his writing process and flashes of money. "After listening to the track, he's talking about just not being a human being, being totally different, is he an alien," the director explained. "So the idea grew from that. It wasn't that hard, because we already had a base of what the concept would be when we shot his performance earlier this year."
  • The clip features the rapper performing in a dark room as his tattoos appear to glow in the dark. "The thing about this video, it was his concept to shoot the black light, 'cause that way the tats that he has, they glow in the dark. That's actually for real; that's not a camera trick or post-production," Rousseau told MTV News. "The tattoos that he has on him when you put the black light on him, they glow in the dark. He came up with that idea. So really, the rest of the video was a springboard on that."
  • The I Am Not a Human Being album topped the Billboard 200 whilst Lil Wayne was still laid up in prison. Weezy is not the first incarcerated rapper to achieve a #1 album. The late Tupac Shakur's 1995 disc Me Against the World also reached the summit when he was residing in jail.
  • Travis Barker of blink-182 plays drums on the track. The following year, Lil Wayne appeared on Barker's solo single "Can A Drummer Get Some?"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went MainstreamSong Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.

Divided Souls: Musical Alter Egos

Divided Souls: Musical Alter EgosSong Writing

Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Rupert Hine

Rupert HineSongwriter Interviews

Producer Rupert Hine talks about crafting hits for Tina Turner, Howard Jones and The Fixx.