Lil Uzi Vert has moved on quickly from their June 30 studio album Pink Tape. Ever since the LP landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Uzi has put the pedal to the metal promoting their next two full-length projects, Barter 16, a collaborative album with Young Thug, and LUV is Rage 3.
Videos by American Songwriter
At the moment, it appears like Barter 16 will be first up to bat, as Uzi’s has been continuously teasing the tape while Thug is in jail awaiting trial for his widely-publicized RICO case. First announced on July 10, Barter 16 merges the title of Thug’s beloved 2015 Barter 6 project with a salute to Uzi’s 1600 block of Philadelphia where they grew up.
[RELATED: Lil Uzi Vert Hints at Joint Album with Young Thug after ‘Pink Tape’ Hits No. 1]
On Wednesday (August 16), which happened to be Thug’s 32nd birthday, Uzi revealed the cover art for Barter 16 on Instagram, which shows him donning a red bandana in front of a red backdrop, identical to the album art for the aforementioned Barter 6. “Happy birthday @thuggerthugger1 Barter 16 soon Love You,” Uzi wrote in the caption of the post.
In the last couple of weeks, Uzi has made it clear that Barter 16 is the only thing on their mind. On August 5, they uploaded a snippet of one of the songs for the track list, as it is a tribute to Mego, Thug’s daughter who is also a signed artist under his Young Stoner Life label. Mego is seen in the video alongside Uzi as the song plays. Uzi has also been rocking the red bandana religiously, which was a signature piece of clothing Thug donned during the same era he released Barter 6.
As of now, neither Uzi nor Thug has unleashed the official track list for the project, and it still has yet to be given a release. However, with Uzi’s 2023 Pink Tape Tour scheduled to begin on October 21 in Minneapolis, it’s fair to assume that we could have Barter 16 in our music libraries before then.
Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Live Nation Urban
