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Young thug barter 6 release date11/19/2022 (The press release for Barter 6, which came out in April of 2015, set a release date for August of that year.) Lately, Thug’s been publicly toying with the idea of dropping his stage name in favor of Jeffery, or the full phrase No, My Name is Jeffery. Speaking of which, there’s the vague notion that after a series of false starts, Young Thug might finally land a release date for Hy!£UN35 (pronounced HiTunes), the “debut album” he and his labels, 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records, have been teasing for almost a year and a half. “Future Swag” sounds like you’ve made it to the final level of a video game where Young Thug gets to fight his A&R. On “RiRi,” he breaks format, slurring through passages like: “I know I’m a Blood, I’m a gangbanger / I know where the bitch, but I’m still singing / Motherfuck the rest if they ain’t really banging / I got the real hitters with me and they dangerous,” where the last few words of each phrase unravel as soon as they hit oxygen. There are thrilling moments littered throughout JEFFERY. That song, which cracked the Billboard Hot 100, has Quavo from the Migos coin the word “discriminize” and Thug rap, “Mama told me ‘Don’t hate on the law’ / ‘Because everybody got a job’ / ‘Because everybody wanna be a star,’” which just might be the most succinct summary of law enforcement in this country. It’s tucked near the end, behind the absurdly triumphant “Webbie” and ahead of “Pick Up the Phone,” the latter song irresistible in the sense that its beat sounds sourced from The Little Mermaid. That Wyclef collab sounds like a Danny English song soaked in lye for a decade and a half. One point of certainty: JEFFERY is the best of the Atlantan’s three efforts so far in 2016. The lead single, a beautiful cut that features Wyclef Jean, is named “Pop Man” on Apple Music, though Thug’s Instagram calls it “Kanye West.” When it was released in advance of JEFFERY, it was alternately called “John,” “Elton” and “Elton John.” It’s not to be confused with the song “Wyclef Jean,” which kicks off JEFFERY and does not, in fact, feature Wyclef Jean. His Wikipedia page calls it a “commercial mixtape,” same as Barter 6, I’m Up or Slime Season 3 (but unlike Slime Season, Slime Season 2 or 1017 Thug, which are merely mixtapes, not available on subscription streaming services). When that debut does drop, he might just be able to fuse this tape’s cohesion with the explosive, memorable hooks of his previous work, or better yet, further growth.A little after 11 PM last night, Young Thug dropped a new record called No, My Name is JEFFERY. Barter 6 feels like a step in the right direction rather than a destination, proof that Thugger can put together a complete package even if it’s less than adventurous. It’s telling that this isn’t Thug’s first album, but another mixtape. But Thug is too eccentric and unpredictable to pin this project down as a Wayne diss - or as a Wayne homage, or a club playlist, or a statement of self. For those not following, the Wayne/Bird relationship didn’t end well, so Thug’s aligning with the Cash Money honcho works as well as any single line to heat the beef. Thug pushes the Wayne connection immediately on opener “Constantly Hating”, referencing the Magnolia Projects and bringing along former Weezy mentor Birdman. This is Thug’s biggest profile release, but rather than jump and bite at the opportunity, he’s chosen to lean into his swerve. Whether he’s rippling out on “Dome” (“”I would rather be a coyote than be a coward”) or dropping manic scream ad-libs on “With That”, the largely syrupy production coats the rough edges that differentiate the flows. The glossy production (executive produced by London on da Track) and sing-song flow melts together, meaning that the best hooks are still subtle enough that they don’t always stand out immediately. Thankfully, Barter 6 takes to its enlarged scope and upgrade in sonics - maybe too well. Tracks like “Stoner” and “Danny Glover” were strong enough to pull listens without context. Prior to Barter 6, Thugger existed for many in quick bursts rather than full tape listens. It’s a woozy reminder to fans why they love him and haters why they hate him. But other than a few equally beef- ish lines, Barter 6 exhibits none of that controversy. Though Thug claimed it was an homage to his favorite rapper, the maybe-beef escalated until the tape’s name was changed slightly (the b comes from his Blood affiliations). The two had similarities - the lean-riddled slurs intermingling with singing, wacky ad-libs, and croaked rhymes - but Thug crossed a line in the Book of Weezy when he announced his tape would be called Carter 6, the next step after Wayne’s still-unreleased Carter V. Thugger’s already polarizing style spiked when he decided to push his orbit even closer to that of another big personality: Lil Wayne. The buildup to the latest mixtape from Young Thug was all controversy.
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