Barter 6
Mixtape by
Young Thug
ReleasedApril 17, 2015 (2015-04-17)
Genre
Length51:52
Label
Producer
Young Thug chronology
Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1
(2014)		 Barter 6
(2015)		 Slime Season
(2015)
Singles from Barter 6
  1. "Check"
    Released: April 1, 2015

Barter 6 is the debut commercial mixtape by American rapper Young Thug. It was released on April 17, 2015, by 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records. Barter 6 features guest appearances from Birdman, T.I., Boosie Badazz, Young Dolph, Yak Gotti, Lil Duke, Moussa Assuom and Jacquees, while the production was handled primarily by in-house producers London on da Track and Wheezy, among others. Barter 6 received generally positive reviews and peaked at 22 on the US charts.

Title controversy

The mixtape was initially titled Carter 6, in continuation of the naming sequence of Lil Wayne's successful Tha Carter album series.[1] This created controversy, as Wayne's scheduled album Tha Carter V was repeatedly delayed amid a dispute between himself and Cash Money Records, who had reportedly refused to release the album.[2] Wayne subsequently became involved in legal proceedings against Cash Money and publicly criticized the label's owner (and Thug's mentor) Birdman, as well as responding negatively to Thug's decision to name the album after him.[3] Despite this, Thug claimed that he was not trying to be disrespectful, and that Wayne was his "idol".[1]

Following a threat of legal action, Thug announced days prior to the release that the project was to be re-titled Barter 6, in line with the typical Blood gang practice of replacing the letter "C" with "B".[4] He furthered the ill feeling by announcing his first show to promote the project in Hollygrove, New Orleans, one of the neighborhoods in which Wayne was raised.[5]

Marketing and sales

Barter 6 was released by 300 Entertainment on April 17, 2015,[6] and charted at number 22 on the US Billboard 200, selling 17,000 copies in its first week.[7] The mixtape's lead single, "Check", was released on April 1, 2015, as well an accompanying music video,[8] the song peaked at number 100 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.5/10[10]
Metacritic72/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Billboard[12]
Complex[13]
ConsequenceC+[14]
HipHopDX4.0/5[15]
Now3/5[16]
Pitchfork8.4/10[17]
Rolling Stone[18]
Spin6/10[19]
XXL4/5[20]

Barter 6 was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the mixtape received an average score of 72, based on 13 reviews.[6] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[10]

Complex said "on Barter 6, a rapper frequently dismissed as a druggie dance trapper inverts himself, yielding a passionate and personal record", adding that his "visceral illustrations are one-of-a-kind, and he communicates joy, frustration, and dread with unique clarity".[13] Meaghan Garvey of Pitchfork stated that "Barter 6 feels like a 50-minute performance of what rap, as a form, can do: rap that need not transcend itself, towards High Art on one hand or commercial art on the other, in order to succeed in 2015".[17] Pitchfork later named Barter 6 the 14th best record of 2015 while ranking the mixtape's opening track "Constantly Hating" as the year's sixth best song.[21][22] HipHopDX called Barter 6 "the definitive mainstream strip club album of the modern era".[15]

In a less enthusiastic review, Spin magazine's Dan Weiss felt Young Thug sounded lazy on Barter 6, "sitting around waiting to ascend to the next level of his sound, for inspiration to strike, though with such a laid-back, inscrutable flow, he might have to activate that change himself".[19] Rolling Stone critic Joe Levy said most of the songs sound "boastful and sad in the same moment", abandoning the frenzied tunefulness of Young Thug's past work in favor of indistinctly "syrupy tracks".[18] Billboard stated that the album "offers cohesion and unity, though maybe at the expense of the exciting, what-will-happen next feel of past mixtapes".[12] Consequence stated that "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".[14]

Track listing

Barter 6 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Constantly Hating" (featuring Birdman)
Wheezy4:27
2."With That" (featuring Lil Duke)
London on da Track3:22
3."Can't Tell" (featuring T.I. and Boosie Badazz)
London on da Track6:08
4."Check"
  • J. Williams
  • Holmes
London on da Track3:50
5."Never Had It" (featuring Young Dolph)
Wheezy4:14
6."Dream" (featuring Yak Gotti)
  • J. Williams
  • Deamonte Kendrick
  • Glass
Wheezy3:01
7."Dome" (featuring Lil Duke)
  • J. Williams
  • Martinez
  • Glass
Wheezy3:51
8."Halftime"
  • J. Williams
  • Kip Hilson
Hilson3:46
9."Amazing" (featuring Jacquees)
Wheezy3:38
10."Knocked Off" (featuring Birdman)
3:16
11."OD"
  • J. Williams
  • Glass
Wheezy4:45
12."Numbers"
  • J. Williams
  • Holmes
London on da Track3:27
13."Just Might Be"
  • J. Williams
  • Glass
Wheezy3:53
Total length:51:52

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits adapted from the mixtape's liner notes and Tidal.[23][24]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Barter 6
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[29] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Young Thug Vs. Lil Wayne: A Timeline Of The Rapper's 'Carter 6' Beef : Entertainment : Design & Trend". Designntrend.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ Grow, Kory (December 4, 2014). "Lil Wayne Blasts Cash Money: 'I Want Off This Label'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ Muhammad, Latifah. "Lil Wayne Disses Young Thug". BET. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Here's Why Young Thug Just Changed The Title Of 'Carter 6'". MTV. April 13, 2015. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Young Thug Threatens Lil Wayne Over Carter 6 Album". MTV. April 14, 2015. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Reviews for Barter 6 by Young Thug". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  7. ↑ Schaeffer, Amy (September 27, 2015). "Young Thug '90 Percent of My Closet Is Women's Clothing'". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ Goddard, Kevin (April 1, 2015). "Young Thug "Check" Video". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Young Thug Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Barter 6 by Young Thug reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  11. ↑ Jeffries, David. "Barter 6 – Young Thug". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Leight, Elias (April 17, 2015). "Album Review: Young Thug Exists In His Own Weird World On 'Barter 6'". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Charity, Justin (April 17, 2015). "Review: Young Thug's Quirky Debut, 'Barter 6,' Ain't Got No Hits". Complex. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Kivel, Adam (April 20, 2015). "Young Thug – Barter 6". Consequence. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  15. 1 2 Garrett, Ural (April 18, 2015). "Young Thug – Barter 6". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  16. ↑ Ritchie, Kevin (April 29, 2015). "Young Thug: Barter 6". Now. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  17. 1 2 Garvey, Meaghan (April 24, 2015). "Young Thug: Barter 6". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  18. 1 2 Levy, Joe (May 4, 2015). "Barter 6". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Weiss, Dan (April 21, 2015). "Review: Young Thug Interrupts His MVP Status With a Bunt on 'Barter 6′". Spin. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  20. ↑ Rys, Dan (April 27, 2015). "Young Thug Rises Above the Drama on 'Barter 6'". XXL. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  21. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015 - Page 4". Pitchfork. December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  22. ↑ "The 100 Best Tracks of 2015 - Page 10". Pitchfork. December 14, 2015. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  23. ↑ Barter 6 (Vinyl liner notes). Young Thug. 300 and Atlantic. 2015. 66660-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ↑ "Credits / Barter 6 / Young Thug". Tidal. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  26. ↑ "Young Thug Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Young Thug Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  29. ↑ "American album certifications – Young Thug – Barter 6". Recording Industry Association of America.
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