6ix9ine’s Long-Awaited Court Testimony

In July of 2018, rapper “Tekashi 6ix9ine” was arrested for racketeering, use of weapons, and drug charges for which he pled guilty and is facing a possible 47-year prison sentence. The rapper’s ties to the “Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods” allowed for him to gain publicity. “I got the street credibility. I would say I got my career,” the hip-hop rapper said in his testimony. “I knew I had a winning formula for my music videos: repeat the gang image. That’s what people liked.” Now, Tekashi realizes that his ties to the Gangsta Bloods will result in prison time.

The specific nature of the charges have not been announced, but “Tekashi 6ix9ine,” or Daniel Hernandez, announced that he had fired his entire management team in an apparent attempt to distance himself from the people he was arrested with. He claimed that people in or affiliated with his management were booking Tekashi’s shows without his knowledge. “If you’re booking shows, do not book shows unless I say ‘this show is gonna be booked with this person,'” he said in the video. “They will steal your money.” 

Tekashi’s legal situation was precarious before the latest arrest. Last month, at a sentencing hearing for a long-running use of a child in a sexual performance charge, he was given four additional years of probation, along with 1,000 hours of community service. One of the conditions of his probation was that he avoid any additional arrests, or risk prison time. In 2019, he has yet again been charged with involvement in robberies, assault, and drug abuses further increasing his sentence. 

Tekashi completed his first day on the stand in federal court where he clearly panicked about testifying against his former fellow gang members of the Nine Trey Bloods. Altogether, he spent nearly 2 hours on the stand -- wearing blue prison scrubs, a white undershirt and still rocking his rainbow colored hair, styled in pigtails. In a courtroom potentially filled with current or former Nine Trey members, he testified he became a member in November 2017 and participated in violent crimes, including shootings, assaults and drug trafficking. At one point, Tekashi even identified two men on trial. He nervously pointed at the defendants, Aljermiah "Nuke" Mack and Anthony "Harv" Ellison, and confirmed their affiliation with the Nine Trey Gang.

Tekashi testified extensively about his hit song, "Gummo," and how the August 2017 music video shoot introduced him to many of the Nine Trey members. For instance, he says he first met Seqo Billy and told him he wanted to do a music video with authentic gang members. Tekashi says on the day of the shoot, he bought three dozen red bandannas for them to wear on camera. He said this is when he met Shotti, who became Tekashi's manager. Prosecutors showed stills from the music video, and Tekashi pointed out and identified various gang members who appeared on camera. He also claimed Trippie Redd was a gang member but from a rival Bloods sect of the Nine Trey.

Tekashi testified he never had to go through an initiation to the gang. The gang simply wanted him to keep making hits in order to bankroll its activities. In addition to identifying unknown gang members, Tekashi claimed well known personalities, like Cardi B and Jim Jones, were part of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. Tekashi has been in prison since July 2018 and his testimony took place on September 2019. His court hearing was originally supposed to take place in 47 years, however, his time has been reduced to only a couple of months. His hearing will be on December 18th, 2019.