Lil Uzi Vert has been stirring up anticipation for Barter 16 for a while now, but the Young Thug-inspired album is now facing the challenges of a massive leak.
On Saturday (August 19), according to HotNewHipHop, on several tracks from Uzi’s upcoming project were released online without their consent, some low quality and others in perfect shape. One of the leaked cuts even features Thugga, whose Barter 6 mixtape serves as the inspiration behind the project.
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As with other such unofficial releases, the songs have been taken down and uploaded again constantly across several different platforms. Hence, no specific website or streaming service hosts the tracks.
Though the 28-year-old rapper never announced a release date for the project, they have been hyping it up over the last few weeks. With the leaks now out, its future remains uncertain.
Two days prior to the leak, Lil Uzi Vert channeled their inner Young Thug with yet another homage to the YSL boss. On Wednesday (August 16), the Philly artist recreated the cover of Thugga’s Barter 6 mixtape, adding to the lengthy tease of their own rendition of the 2015 classic.
“Happy birthday @thuggerthugger1,” Uzi wrote in the caption of their Instagram post. “Barter 16 [B emoji] soon [blood drop emoji] Love You [green heart emoji].”
Young Thug, who turned 32 that same day, is currently behind bars amid the ongoing YSL RICO case, which currently looks as if it will drag on into next year.
In recent weeks, Lil Uzi Vert has made it clear that Young Thug is one of their greatest musical influences with their ongoing cosplay of the Atlanta rapper ahead of Barter 16. Uzi took to social media in late July to share a picture of themself in the studio, surrounded by a red hue that resembled a younger version of Thugga.
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In the image, they threw up a gang sign while wearing a red bandana wrapped around their dreadlocks and even rocked a Rich Gang chain — a nod to Thug’s former group with Rich Homie Quan and Birdman.
“B16,” Uzi captioned the photo.
