Tekashi 6ix9ine is facing a minimum sentence of 47 years, as he was arrested in 2018 for racketeering and weapons charges. He has decided to strike a deal with the government in an attempt to reduce his sentence.
Daniel Hernandez, more popularly known under his rapper name Tekashi 6ix9ine, has pleaded guilty to a variety of charges including conspiring to murder. The bulk of 6ix9ine’s testimony consists of him pointing out members of his former gang, the Nine Trey Bloods.
Federal prosecutors are using 6ix9ine as their primary witness in an attempt to convict the other five codefendants in the case.
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6ix9ine’s rap career took off with his single “GUMMO,” and his unique appearance of rainbow hair, face tattoos, and aggressive style of music set him apart in the rap industry.
He was constantly in the limelight for his reckless persona, beef with Chief Keef, and sexual misconduct case. He is no stranger to the courtroom, but 6ix9ine now has a very different role in a case as the government’s star witness.
A federal courtroom can be an intimidating prospect, and 6ix9ine is receiving special treatment due to him being in considerable danger because he’s testifying against a popular gang.
According to Lisa Evers a reporter who was at the trial on Hot 97, he was brought in through a different tunnel than witnesses normally come through, and is being held in a separate part of the prison. 6ix9ine had no problems pointing out people he was previously affiliated with and calling them out as members of a criminal organization.
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Perhaps most humorously, 6ix9ine also testified that various rappers, including Cardi B, Trippie Redd, and Jim Jones were gang members.
The severity of these allegations remains to be seen considering some of these rappers themselves have not shied away from claiming themselves as being bloods.
The prosecution is making some headway in their case with 6ix9ine as their witness, and his testimonies have led to two of his former crew members, Anthony Ellison and Aljermiah Mack, to being convicted of racketeering.
Ellison was also convicted of kidnapping and assaulting 6ix9ine, something that 6ix9ine had been publicly speaking about for sometime, and there was even a videotape of the incident posted on youtube. Mack was convicted of distributing narcotics.
6ix9ine’s transformation from his boisterous gangster persona to a star witness is one of the most radical changes popular music has ever seen.
Many rappers, including Snoop Dogg and The Game have called out 6ix9ine, labeling him a snitch and condemning his actions. Many people on twitter have humorously labeled Martha Stewart as more “gangsta” than 6ix9ine because she accepted her prison sentence in 2003 without ratting anyone out.
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Following the trial, a variety of memes surfaced and began to trend, saying random people like Tony Hawk or Barack Obama is a member of the Nine Trey Bloods. The memes alluded to the fact that 6ix9ine looped in quite a few people with the gang, and bringing popular rappers into the mix was enough to catch many people’s attention. The internet couldn’t get enough of the trial, as it was frequently reported on across a wide variety of popular media platforms.
While most people have taken to calling 6ix9ine a snitch and disapproved of his actions, some have come to his defense and said that given his situation, they would go on the stand to lower their sentence as well.
Facing up to life in prison after being threatened and kidnapped by your own management team is not a great situation to be in, and some think that 6ix9ine’s snitching is warranted.
That being said, there is no doubt that 6ix9ine put himself in this situation to begin with, and had he not gotten involved with the Nine Trey Bloods simply to bolster his image, he would not have to testify in order to reduce his sentence in the first place.
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Prosecutors have said that 6ix9ine will be given the option for witness protection, but with his unmistakable face tattoo that reads “69” it will be very difficult for him to disappear altogether.
Besides, 6ix9ine has reportedly rejected witness protection as an option, and will likely try to revive his music career upon his release from prison. He will need some pretty heavy security if he wishes to stay safe in public, as he’s made quite a few enemies throughout the course of his trial.
