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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