COURTESY: AMAZON
No one truly understands Young Thug.
It could be attributed to his rapid, gargling rap style. When he emerged out of the mixtape circuit last February with singles “Stoner” and “Danny Glover,” Young Thug became a staple in the streets, club and radio. Both songs showcased Thug’s nasally delivery, in which words became muddled and ambiguous.
On the other hand, most things in Young Thug’s universe are similarly indistinguishable. The rapper made headlines in 2014 by calling former frequent collaborator, Rich Homie Quan, “hubby” and “babe” and wearing dresses from the little girls’ clothing section as oversized t-shirts. The backlash revealed just how far behind hip-hop culture has been when it comes to confronting sexual identity in a world where Bruce Jenner’s recent gender transformation has met resounding support and admiration.
On the carpet at the 2014 BET Awards, Thugger addressed the controversy in an interview with Bossip.com, stating, “It’s the language. It’s nothing stupid and fruity going on. It’s the way we talk, it’s the way we live. Those are my baes, those are my lovers, my hubbies, whatever you want to call them.”
While introducing rap fans to his unique gangster-style androgyny, Thugger has garnered success in the sector of oddball trap music abundant in his native Atlanta.
The artist’s most recent contradiction comes in the form of his retail mixtape, “Barter 6.” The album’s original title, “Carter 6,” was nixed after legal pressures from Lil’ Wayne, the latest disgruntled Cash Money employee in a long list of rappers and singers who have battled Birdman for royalties since the label’s inception in the early 1990s.
Lil’ Wayne, still yet to have released the fifth installment in his flagship Carter series, did not take kindly to Thug’s backhanded homage. During a concert in Jackson, Mississippi, Weezy mocked Thug, telling the crowd not to support any rappers who pose naked on their album.
In response, Thug took to Instagram, extending an olive branch to Wayne, “I understand that Lil’ Wayne is frustrated about his career, and I feel him on that, but this is my idol. I would never in my life swap words with him or beef with him about nothing.”
However, by the third song on “Barter 6,” “Can’t Tell,” Thugger takes aim at the platinum rapper with the lyric, “Boy, I’ll leave you dead and call it dead-ication,” a reference to Wayne’s popular “Dedication” mixtape series. In Thugger’s world, there is always a second chance to make a first impression.
Even in mid-rhyme, Young Thug finds the time to double back over his lyrics, self-editing his intentions in a stream of consciousness.
“If cops pull up, I put that crack in my crack,” he raps on “Check.”
Before moving on to his next point, Thugger revises his line. “Or I put that brack in my brack,” he says, on second thought, replacing the Cs with Bs, a common practice amongst fellow Blood gang affiliates.
For those patient enough to listen closely to Young Thug’s signature warped delivery, there isn’t much in the way of substantial lyricism in the album’s 13 tracks.
Instead, Thug presents his distinct mastery of language, finding ways to vary his flow to get the most out of every second of beat available. Thug uses his ad-libs to graffiti the musical palettes provided to him by producers Wheezy, Kip Hilson and Rich Gang in-house producer London on da Track.
The abuse of syllables in phrases like, “Count a hundred want a hunnid more that’s hunger, yeah baby, Thugger Thugger hungry, yes I’m hungry,Young Thugger got the munchies, all my diamonds come in yellow like a Funyon, Yeah all my gold made ‘em sick and they can vomit,” leave fans to wonder why Thug just didn’t say “I have a lot of money and my jewelry is awesome.”
Similar to most elements of Young Thug’s career, “Barter 6” is an exercise in “complication for the sake of complication.”
