I would like to dedicate my last blog post to an ongoing case that I have been following regularly for the past month now. The man pictured above is twenty-two-year-old Brooklyn native and American rapper, Daniel Hernandez, also known as Tekashi 6ix9ine. This American rapper is currently facing racketeering and firearm charges brought up upon him by the Federal government. He is currently facing life in prison for multiple counts of racketeering charges that date all the way back to 2013. Tekashi 6ix9ine’s recent rise to fame in 2017 came from his frequent promotion of the Nine Trey Bloods, a Blood affiliated gang in New York City, in his music videos and in the music video for his first hit single “Gummo” which helped make him a household name in the Hip-Hop community. Hernandez, just months before being arrested on these federal charges, had just finished pleading guilty to charges including the use of a child in a sexual performance and exposing himself to a minor. He was handed four years of probation and one thousand hours of community service for this guilty plea. Certainly, this was a slap on the wrist for Hernandez as the average individual brought up on these charges, in the state of New York, would be looking at about one to three years in prison for these two offenses. The judge presiding over this case, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Felicia Menni, promised Hernandez if he stayed out of trouble over the course of his probation he would not have to register as sex-offender. This decision by Menni was one she would soon learn to regret as a few weeks later federal agents had overheard 6ix9ine’s close friend and manager “Shotti” over a wiretap stating that he wanted to kill 6ix9ine. This happened right after Tekashi 6ix9ine had fired his whole management company after they allegedly robbed him of over $350,000 in finances that was supposed to be guaranteed to him for the completion of fifteen live performances. However, once this threat to Hernandez’s life was made the FBI, by law, were required to notify 6ix9ine that his life was in danger and had offered him government protection. He declined their offer and wanted to be released immediately, however, the FBI declined this request. The FBI believed that since his life was already in danger and they had already planned on arresting him in a few months on racketeering charges it was best to arrest him then. Hernandez went to his arraignment hearing days later and was denied bail even after offering all the money he had in his bank account which totaled $1.7 million. He pleaded not guilty to the racketeering and firearm charges and is set to stand trial on September 4, 2019. Until then, Tekashi 6ix9ine will be held in The Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City in general population for the next ten months.
I personally worry for Tekashi 6ix9ine as he is one of my favorite new rappers out today. I have followed all his music since his big break in 2017 and have attend two of his concerts. I also followed him on social media where he had gone viral for his wild antics and run-ins with law enforcement in the past year. In the end, I hope that he does not get life in prison, however, I do think he deserves some form of punishment for what he has done. Since his trial begins ten months from now and he was denied bail, fans like myself will not be hearing any new music from 6ix9ine for a while. Hopefully, he will only receive two years in prison for these crimes and will try to separate himself from his current gang affiliations once he is released in the future.