Try our affiliated browser extension - redirect to BreezeWiki automatically!

Barter 6

Barter 6 is the debut commercial mixtape by Young Thug, released by 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records on April 17, 2015. Barter 6 features guest appearances from Birdman, T.I., Boosie Badazz, Young Dolph, Yak Gotti, Lil Duke and Jacquees, while the production was handled primarily by in-house producers London on da Track and Wheezy, among others. Barter 6 peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200, selling 17,000 copies in its first week.

Description

Barter 6 was billed first as Young Thug's debut album, then a retail mixtape; either way, the 2015 release was the sharpest, clearest statement yet from Atlanta's most enigmatic rapper. From the gently rippling intro, "Constantly Hating," to the swirling, cathartic haze of "Just Might Be," Thug contorts his voice into endless shapes and pulls previously unheard harmonies out of his back pocket. "Check" is a giddy celebration of success, and "Halftime" is rap as high-wire routine: a technical performance as reckless as it is graceful. – Apple Music

Title and artwork

The mixtape was initially titled Carter 6, in continuation of the naming sequence of Lil Wayne's successful Tha Carter album series. 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. 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. Despite this, Thug claimed that he was not trying to be disrespectful, and that Wayne was his "idol." 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".

The cover was shot by Korean-American photographer Sandy Kim. She recalled, "I asked him if he would be down to get naked and he was like 'Fuck no, I'm not getting naked, you get naked!' Artists should totally be down to commit to the vision they're asking for, so I got naked and then we shot it. The experience was great, his team was shooting dice on set." Concerning the suggestive phallic-like placement of the title, she explained she was not behind the graphics, "but they did send everything to me to sign off on. I think you are meant to [infer] phallic imagery, definitely. A lot of the concept was from Thug. If he didn't have something like this in mind I don't think they would've reached out to me. There are more images to come, but you'll just have to wait until it drops."[1]

Accolades

Listicles

Publication List Rank Ref.
Crack Magazine The Top 100 Albums of the Decade
50
[2]
Pitchfork The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s
54
[3]
Rolling Stone The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time
120
[4]
Vice The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s
19
[5]

Year-end lists

Publication List Rank Ref.
Crack Magazine Albums of the Year 2015
12
[6]
Dazed The Top 20 Albums of 2015
12
[7]
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2015
44
[8]
Noisey The 50 Best Albums of 2015
27
[9]
Passion of Weiss The Best Albums of 2015
2
[10]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2015
14
[11]
Pigeons & Planes Best Albums of 2015
15
[12]
Rolling Stone 40 Best Rap Albums of 2015
10
[13]
Slant Magazine The 25 Best Albums of 2015
17
[14]
Spin The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015
8
[15]
Stereogum The 40 Best Rap Albums of 2015
11
[16]

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States United States (RIAA) Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Constantly Hating" (featuring Birdman)
Wheezy4:27
2."With That" (featuring Lil Duke)
  • J. Williams
  • Arnold Martinez
  • London Holmes
London on da Track3:22
3."Can't Tell" (featuring T.I. and Boosie Badazz)
  • J. Williams
  • Clifford Harris Jr.
  • Torrence Hatch
  • Holmes
London on da Track6:08
4."Check"
  • J. Williams
  • Holmes
London on da Track3:50
5."Never Had It" (featuring Young Dolph)
  • J. Williams
  • Adolph Thornton Jr.
  • Glass
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)
  • J. Williams
  • Rodriquez Jacquees Broadnax
  • Glass
  • Alta Willis[a]
  • Albert McKay[a]
  • Maurice White[a]
Wheezy3:38
10."Knocked Off" (featuring Birdman)
  • J. Williams
  • B. Williams
  • Glass
  • Ricky Harrell Jr.
  • Wheezy
  • Ricky Racks
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

  • ^[a] "Amazing" contains a sample of "September," written by Alta Willis, Albert McKay, and Maurice White, as performed by Earth, Wind & Fire.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
United Kingdom UK R&B Albums (OCC)
24
United States US Billboard 200
22
United States US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
5

Year-end charts

Chart (2015) Position
United States US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
81

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ Tharpe, Frazier (April 8, 2015). "Young Thug Made the 'Carter 6' Cover Photographer Get Naked, Too". Complex.
  2. ↑ Van Nguyen, Dean (2019). "red". Crack Magazine.
  3. ↑ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019.
  4. ↑ "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 7, 2022.
  5. ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Vice. November 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Albums of the Year 2015". Crack. December 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ Jones, Daisy (December 16, 2015). "The Top 20 Albums of 2015". Dazed.
  8. ↑ Bartleet, Larry (December 2, 2015). "NME's Albums of the Year 2015". NME.
  9. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Noisey. December 3, 2015.
  10. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2015". Passion of Weiss. December 20, 2015.
  11. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Pitchfork. December 15, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Best Albums of 2015". Pigeons & Planes. December 23, 2015. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015.
  13. ↑ "40 Best Rap Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. December 23, 2015.
  14. ↑ "The 25 Best Albums of 2015". Slant Magazine. December 10, 2015.
  15. ↑ "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015". Spin. December 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ Breihan, Tom (December 7, 2015). "The 40 Best Rap Albums of 2015". Stereogum.

Template:B6