Tekashi 6ix9ine’s ego could put his life in danger as house arrest ends
Sometimes crime does pay — if you’re Tekashi 6ix9ine, the rapper-turned-convicted felon whose song with Nicki Minaj, “Trollz,” racked up a record-setting 50 million YouTube views within 24 hours of dropping on June 12.
A day before, the 24-year-old — real name Daniel Hernandez — took to Instagram Live from the secret hideaway where he’s living with his girlfriend, Jade, crowing that “I’m back and they mad.”
Fuming theatrically about his reputation as hip-hop’s top snitch, earned because he ratted out the violent Nine Trey Bloods street gang that helped make him famous, he blasted Meek Mill, Future, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg as hypocrites in a “rap game full of liars, full of rats.”
Tekashi hasn’t missed a beat since being sprung from prison in April, 17 months into a two-year sentence, because asthma put him at risk for coronavirus complications. He has dropped new music, posted photos of himself flaunting his house-arrest ankle monitor, and ginned up new beefs: accusing Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande of buying the No. 1 Billboard spot for their single, “Stuck with You,” which beat out his third-place hit “Gooba,” charges the pair denied.
Tekashi will be a relatively free man as of July 31, when home confinement ends and he goes on supervised release for five years. But the rapper’s past — and his enemies — could catch up with him. He rejected an offer to go into witness protection and will rely on pricey private security that has reportedly been tough to staff up.
Insiders are worried that Tekashi, who had his sentence on federal racketeering charges reduced in exchange for testimony about the Nine Treys, might not be as smart about staying alive as he is at chasing clout. He had to move to another residence when a neighbor leaked the address of his first hideout post-jail, a rental in Lido Beach, LI, after Tekashi posted a photo of himself outside flashing fistfuls of cash.
“I’m concerned,” Dawn Florio, one of his lawyers, told The Post. “Lots of people condemn Danny for cooperating with the government. Even a young gang member who wants to make a name for himself could try something. He’s in great spirits but I won’t rest easy until he’s located in a different state with 24-hour security.”
But all the notoriety is helping make Tekashi a star.
“I assumed he was a dead man walking as soon as he got out,” an attorney for one of the 11 Nine Trey Bloods that Tekashi helped send to prison told The Post. “But the fans are glorifying him. It used to be that a rat was the worst thing you could be . . . It’s not very ‘Godfather’ish out there anymore.”
A former NYPD detective who ran the “hip-hop cops” unit in the late ’90s agreed.
“Tekashi did something extraordinary in giving up his whole gang,” Derrick Parker told The Post. “There are still hardcore rappers like Fat Joe who would never snitch. But I think [fans] are going to forgive [Tekashi] and he’ll be bigger than ever.”
The question is: Will his enemies let him enjoy it?
Back in Bushwick and Bed-Stuy, he’s still Danny from the block — and the street jury is out as to his future.
“F–k him!” yelled a man inside the alleged Nine Trey Madison Street headquarters when The Post knocked at the door. According to Tekashi, the Bed-Stuy brownstone, where he filmed his 2017 “Gummo” video, housed the gang’s members.
“Don’t got nothing good to say so I won’t say anything,” the man added, shutting the blinds.
Two doors down, a resident said everyone in the neighborhood remembered when the “Gummo” video was made “and the dumb-ass new red bandanas Danny brought everyone to wear.”
“That boy ain’t famous, he’s infamous,” said the resident, who declined to give his name. “He made it out of here, I give him that. I just wouldn’t come back if I was him. There’s a lot of Bloods around.”
In Bushwick, a 20-minute walk away, Sam, his former boss at Stay Fresh Grill and Deli, lit up when he talked about “Danny.” It’s part of Tekashi lore that the rapper was discovered at the deli, Hollywood starlet-style, by music manager Peter “Righteous P” Rogers in 2014.
“He worked the cash register,” said Sam, 55. “He’s a good kid . . . Danny was always ambitious.”
Tekashi, who dropped out of school in 10th grade, lived in a two-bedroom apartment with his brother, stepfather and mother, who worked as a cleaner after moving to Bushwick from Mexico in 1988. She reportedly kicked out his biological father, also named Daniel Hernandez, for doing heroin when Tekashi was about 9. The rapper didn’t see his dad again until the man showed up, giving his address as a shelter in Queens, at Tekashi’s sentencing in December.
Around the corner from the Stay Fresh Deli, on Locust Street, a man named Steve — who said he was one of Tekashi’s oldest friends — sat in front of the building where the rapper’s stepfather was fatally shot in 2010.
“Got nothing but love for Danny,” Steve told The Post. “He takes care of me, he takes care of my dogs. He’s one of my ride-or-dies. He might be a target for sure now but he knows the drill.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B__GvF7Kly6/
Tekashi started uploading mixtapes to YouTube and SoundCloud, landing a record deal with 10K Projects and garnering social-media attention not just for his music but his look: rainbow hair and clothing inspired by Japanese anime, wild grills on his teeth and a plethora of face tattoos.
In 2017, according to his court testimony, he met Nine Trey rapper Billy Seqo and formed a transactional relationship that led to gang members strutting in the “Gummo” video. Showcasing gangbangers gave Tekashi cred, and got them on his payroll. But the worm began to turn in July 2018, when gang member Anthony “Harv” Ellison kidnapped, robbed and pistol-whipped Tekashi. The rapper escaped. Ellison was later arrested.
In November 2018 — the same month his album “Dummy Boy” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard chart, Tekashi was arrested, along with his former manager Kifano “Shotti” Jordan and five other Nine Trey gangsters. They faced federal racketeering and firearms charges related to organized-gang activity. Shortly after, the rapper had to be moved to a new jail because of threats from inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
He could have been sentenced to as many as 47 years in prison. But in exchange for a sharply reduced sentence — two years minus time served — he pleaded guilty to racketeering and other charges and flipped on gang associates in court.
Among those Tekashi fingered, all took plea deals except Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, forcing Tekashi to go to trial and deliver inside info on them as well as the entire inner workings of the gang.
I wouldn’t come back if I was him. There’s a lot of Bloods around.
Mack and Ellison were convicted of racketeering charges, with the former receiving a 17-year sentence. Ellison, who was also convicted of kidnapping Tekashi, will be sentenced July 23.
Shortly after Tekashi’s release from prison in April, Snoop Dogg called out media outlets for “making snitching cool.” “I’m old school,” Snoop tweeted. “F–k 69 and everybody pushing his line right now all New York.”
Now Tekashi may have to live life as a moving target — constantly working to stay ahead of those who want revenge. The question is, will his ego slow him down?
“He’ll be OK as long as he sticks with what he does best,” said a music-industry source who has worked with him. “He knows how to stay on top. But he’s also got kind of a death wish. I don’t know which Tekashi is gonna win out.”
A TIMELINE OF TEKASHI 6IX9INE’S FEDERAL CHARGES
Over the past five years, Tekashi 6ix9ine has seen his share of hits — like his new song “Trollz” with Nicki Minaj (below) — as well as misses, including various criminal charges. But his alleged crimes went federal in 2018:
2018:
Nov. 19: Tekashi is arrested on racketeering and firearms charges, along with former manager Kifano “Shotti” Jodan (below) and others related to the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang. He eventually pleads guilty to nine counts.
2019:
Sept. 10: Tekashi testifies against gang associates Anthony “Harv” Ellison (below, who would be found guilty of kidnapping and robbing him) and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, and pinpoints alleged gang members in his music videos. It’s part of a plea deal that may get him into witness protection. Rumors swirl that he’ll be punished by those who see him as a rat.
Dec. 18: After facing a minimum sentence of 47 years, Tekashi receives two years in prison, with credit for time served.
2020:
Early April: It’s confirmed that Tekashi has been approved to serve his remaining prison time at home, after his lawyers claimed that his asthma put him in a higher-risk group for COVID-19.
May 10: Thanks to images posted by both the rapper and a neighbor, his safe house in Lido Beach, LI, is revealed. He is quickly moved to a new location.
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