Tattler with a tale to tell
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine exiled as a ‘snitch’
In November, Brooklyn- based rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine — known for his rainbow-coloured hair and prominent face tattoos — claimed the two things he feared were “God and the FBI.”
Ten months later, the 23- year- old, whose legal name is Daniel Hernandez, has a third to add to the list: his former gang set, the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
Hernandez was indicted over a year ago on racketeering and firearms charges along with five other men, all of whom were named as members of the violent gang alleged to be operating a drug- trafficking enterprise. Hernandez cut a deal with the government and took the stand last week as federal prosecutors’ star witness against two former associates, Aljermiah Mack and Anthony Ellison, described by the U.S. attorney’s office as high-ranking set members.
Hernandez offered a rare look inside the inner workings of a notoriously dangerous and murderous street gang, which he allegedly joined to advance his budding music career, according to The New York Times. As his stardom brought in cash, Hernandez explained from the witness stand, the Nine Treys offered up street cred.
The New York Times reported that the Instagram celebrity and self- described troll listed what he said was the Nine Treys hierarchy and claimed several prominent entertainment industry names were gang members, including Harlem rapper Jim Jones and Bronx- based Cardi B, in his testimony.
The testimony shocked music artists and members of his former crew, provoking many to denounce his double-crossing and co-operation with law enforcement.
In a series of Instagram posts, rapper Snoop Dogg called Hernandez a “s. n. i.t. c. h.” and “a rat and a goon.” Vince Staples asked his 1.1 million followers: “Did 69 tell on you?” And in a now- deleted tweet, Cardi B corrected Hernandez, who had apparently aligned her with the Trey Nines, which she wrote was the wrong set.
For the time being, Hernandez remains incarcerated, serving out his own related sentence; he pleaded guilty to a slew of charges in January, including racketeering, and faces a minimum of 47 years in prison, though prosecutors promised to request a reduced sentence for his testimony against Mack and Ellison.