How should this be considered when placed in context against the more problematic pieces of his public persona? To negate either piece of his being seems ill-considered, but perhaps they are not mutually exclusive. For him, gender appears to be but a costume to don at will a claim bolstered further by his public statements dismissing the reality of it at all. Young Thug, the musical phenomenon hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, wears the cloaks of male and female without any apparent inhibitions. But that’s classic Thugger we’re never going to make sense of him or his sound.We will refer to Young Thug using he/him/his pronouns, as all writing on the musical artist hailing from Atlanta, Georgia has done so in the past and he has not made public any desire for a different reference. They build and build and build … and never really resolve. The sound of soothing strings being plucked begins the song and then ushers it into a cacophony of other noises that serve to both shock and satisfy you. I felt incredibly tempted to give “Best Friend” the number one spot on this list, just because I can’t go a day without playing it.
Or maybe because it features this series of lines: “No, they won’t tease on that dick / They won’t read on that dick, they won’t leash on that dick / Don’t Felicia that dick, Mamacita that dick / They gon’ snitch on that dick/And she screamin’ loud, she can’t secret that dick / Mama a beast on that dick.” Whatever the reason, this is the song you should show someone when you’re introducing them to Young Thug. Maybe because the repetitive hook (“Got me a check, I got a check”) is catchy as fuck. Maybe because it’s one of the safest efforts on the album. But really, this is as introspective as we’ve seen the rapper, but still offers some of his classic lyricism: “Kuna Matata I need you, I am a Mufasa genius / Baby come fuck for no reason.” It’s oh so satisfying.īehind “Can’t Tell,” this is unarguably the most commercially successful song on Barter 6.
And not “crying alone in your room” drunk, but, like, drunk drunk. I love Thug songs that could almost be sad but then aren’t because it’s Young Thug, you know? Like, you can still get drunk to this song. The fact that it has an aggressive Thugger rapping over it just makes it even better. And while this list is undoubtedly premature - he’ll definitely put out more music during December - these songs remain some of his most significant of the year.Īs the lone Metro Boomin-produced track on an otherwise London On Da Track-dominated Slime Season, it makes sense that this song stands out, if for no reason other than its production. Instead, I sorted through that and his other prominent projects of 2015, Slime Season and Slime Season 2.
I could easily copy and paste the full Barter 6 track list on here and call it a day (because that album is just straight bangers), but that wouldn’t be doing the rapper justice. The dude puts out a new track every other day, and they can be pretty difficult to sift through.
But before reading, please note that this is not a list of the best Young Thug songs of the year but of the best Young Thug songs I’ve heard this year.