S. Samuel
Lil Wayne has become the first hip-hop artist since the late Tupac Shakur to have a number one debut album while incarcerated.
According to reports, Wayne’s recently released I Am Not A Human Being earned him the accolade.
The rapper, who’s on track to be released Thursday after serving eight months in a gun case, is the first artist in 15 years to release a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart while serving a sentence. His “I Am Not a Human Being” spent a week in the top slot and has sold more than 323,000 copies since its Sept. 27 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Several rappers have put out albums while locked up; the late Shakur became the first to hit number one with 1995’s “Me Against the World,” released while he was imprisoned on a sexual assault conviction. Some have recorded songs behind bars. (Billboard)
Tupac’s former Death Row Records boss Suge Knight also weighed in on Wayne’s accomplishment.
Lil Wayne’s feat behind bars impressed former Death Row Records head Marion “Suge” Knight, who signed Shakur to the now-defunct, legendary label, after the release of Me Against the World. “It was great that they had that communication with fans,” Knight told Billboard, while adding that due to technology, during the 1990’s, “the world stopped” for an artist serving time behind bars. (All Hip Hop)
Since its late September debut, Wayne’s project has been a mainstay on the sales charts.
Incarcerated rapper Lil Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being dropped four slots to No. 5 with 64,500 as Sugarland‘s Incredible Machine tops all albums with 202,700 sold records. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Weezy’s new album has shelled out 323,200 units after a month of availability. (SOHH Sales Wrap)
Last month, Wayne inked a letter to fans describing his anticipation to return home since being put in jail on for gun possession conviction last March.
“By now I’m guessing that you all have heard about my recent relocation to the bing, which is punitive segregation. Basically, no T.V., no radio, no snacks/junkfood, and one phone call a week. This punishment has been handed to me for my earlier MP3 incident. I admit, I fu#ked up and now I must deal with the consequences. As I write this, I only have 25 days left, and it’ll be even less than that when you read this. So honestly, I’m fine. Obviously, this gives me a lot of time to myself and a lot of alone time with my thoughts, which can be creatively dangerous. I do miss being able to hear from my family everyday but once a week will have to suffice. To them, I apologize. I’m still able to receive mail so reading and responding is still a huge part of my day. I’d like to thank everyone that sent me B-Day cards and wishes… that was terrific. You all are wonderful, simply wonderful.” (Weezy Thanx You)
Lil Wayne is expected to be released on November 4th.
Check out a recent Lil Wayne interview down below:
