diff --git a/python-package/.pylintrc b/python-package/.pylintrc
index 58dc6d56f..4e1bee1f8 100644
--- a/python-package/.pylintrc
+++ b/python-package/.pylintrc
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 ignore=tests
 
-disable=invalid-name,wildcard-import,too-many-arguments,attribute-defined-outside-init,no-member,too-many-instance-attributes,too-few-public-methods,import-error,super-on-old-class,fixme,too-many-nested-blocks
+unexpected-special-method-signature,too-many-nested-blocks,consider-using-enumerate
 
 dummy-variables-rgx=(unused|)_.*
 
diff --git a/python-package/xgboost/core.py b/python-package/xgboost/core.py
index 85a81d678..3078dc903 100644
--- a/python-package/xgboost/core.py
+++ b/python-package/xgboost/core.py
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ class DMatrix(object):
         feature_names : list or None
             Labels for features. None will reset existing feature names
         """
-        if not feature_names is None:
+        if feature_names is not None:
             # validate feature name
             if not isinstance(feature_names, list):
                 feature_names = list(feature_names)
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ class DMatrix(object):
         feature_types : list or None
             Labels for features. None will reset existing feature names
         """
-        if not feature_types is None:
+        if feature_types is not None:
 
             if self.feature_names is None:
                 msg = 'Unable to set feature types before setting names'