Tekashi6ix9ine’s dangerous affiliation with the Nine Trey Gangsta Blood gangs is examined in the new Hulu documentary, 69: The Saga Of Danny Hernandez.
A new trailer for the documentary explores how the rapper flaunted his association with the gang amid his promising rise to musical success.
Tekashi’s criminal activities with the group ultimately landed him in prison, however he received a reduced sentence after agreeing to testify against fellow gang members.
‘He feared for his life’: Tekashi6ix9ine’s dangerous association with the Nine Trey Gangsta Blood gangs is laid bare in the upcoming Hulu documentary, 69: The Saga Of Danny Hernandez
The documentary speaks with locals who knew Tekashi prior to his rise in fame, and who remembered his early musical ambitions.
‘He said, “I am going to be a rapper. I am 69,”‘ recalled one person.
‘Danny was a cool, Hispanic kid from the ghettos of Brooklyn,’ one friend said.
‘He had face tattoos,’ said another. ‘That was his whole thing. Shock value, shock value.’
‘That was his whole thing’: Tekashi’s large face tattoos were part of his brand of ‘shock value’
‘Danny was a cool, Hispanic kid from the ghettos of Brooklyn,’ one friend said
‘I am 69’: A friend recalled Tekashi’s musical ambition
‘The more he became 69, the more he became obsessed with… attention,’ recalled another.
The rambunctious rapper was seen jumping jubliantly on stage as the crowd repeatedly chanted his name.
Yet it was not just music that was important to the promising rapper.
‘Gangs have played an important part in all our lives,’ a friend said.
Rise to fame: The trailer starts off with friends and colleagues recalling Tekashi’s early ambition to become a superstar
Bound for stardom: The rambunctious rapper was seen jumping jubliantly on stage as the crowd repeatedly chanted his name
‘The bandanna was the biggest prop he could ever use’: Said another, as footage of the rapper cloaking himself in a red bandanna flashed on screen
‘The bandanna was the biggest prop he could ever use,’ said another, as footage of the rapper cloaking himself in a red bandanna flashed on screen.
‘I think everyone think, is he really a blood?’ asked another.
‘He was doing something that should put his life at risk on a weekly basis,’ said another.
Tekashi even appeared to be making light of the dangers.
Raising eyebrows: ‘I think everyone think, is he really a blood?’ asked another
Making headlines: The rapper’s crimes landed him in the news
‘Everybody be getting shot, boom, boom, boom!’ he jokingly said.
Eventually, it all caught up to him, and he was arrested for crimes involving activities with the gang.
‘Tekashi figured out, let me work with the feds on this,’ remarked one commentator.
‘He feared for his life. Tekashi knew, “These guys could shoot me or kill me at anytime.”‘
Life-threatening: ‘He was doing something that should put his life at risk on a weekly basis,’ said another
New person: ‘They were two separate people at the beginning, but they morphed into one,’ said another
‘Tekashi69’s a f**king rat!’ exclaimed one commentator.
‘They were two separate people at the beginning, but they morphed into one,’ said another.
Last year 6ix9ine was convicted in connection with racketeering, drug trafficking and weapons charges, and got a lesser sentence – he faced as many as 47 years in custody – for his testimony against one-time associates.
During his remarkably candid testimony spanning three days, he described how he joined the Nine Treys to gain street credibility in exchange for a cut of his music industry earnings.
He was sentenced to two years in prison this past December, and released from prison into home arrest in April after citing concerns about coronavirus.
69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez is now streaming on Hulu.
Out now: 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez is now streaming on Hulu