Tekashi 6ix9ine Trial: Everything We Know (So Far)

One year ago, we witnessed the downfall of Tekashi 6ix9ine, one of the most boisterous rappers to have broken out in recent years. With his unique look– rainbow-colored hair and 69 tattoos all over his body, including his face— the young man, real name Daniel Hernandez, was set for superstardom. He took music marketing to the next level, proving that he would do anything in order to make it in this cutthroat industry. Unfortunately for him, he tried a little too hard to catch everybody’s attention. The 23-year-old Brooklyn native ended up getting shut down by the feds for his involvement in the Nine Trey Bloods gang, distributing illegal drugs, planning out shootings and robberies, and providing the gang with endless amounts of cash. 6ix9ine was one of the most popular recording artists of 2018 and everything came to a screeching halt with his arrest, putting his entire career in jeopardy. Now, the rapper is facing forty-seven years in prison and he’s doing all that he can to lighten his sentence. If other people need to go down for him to make his way out of police custody, he has no problem doing that dirty work and he’s been proving that during this trial.

We’ve been covering this trial at length for the last week, updating you on every little detail that has gone on behind-the-scenes in an attempt to get you the most up-to-date and accurate reporting on the situation. If you’ve been confused about exactly what’s happened in the last few days, we’ve got you covered. Here is everything we know about Tekashi 6ix9ine’s Nine Trey trial.

Day One: Jussie Smollett Comparisons

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

6ix9ine is currently the star witness in the trial of Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, two members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods and former affiliates of the rapper. Ellison is being charged with kidnapping the entertainer last year and snatching all of his jewelry while Mack is accused of distributing drugs, including heroin and MDMA. 

The first day of the trial was slightly uneventful. Tekashi 6ix9ine did not take the witness stand but his name was brought up in the courtroom. As noted by Complex, it all began on September 16 with opening statements and jury selection. Perhaps the most riveting soundbite from the introductory session was when the situation was compared to Jussie Smollett’s staged hate crime from earlier in the year. 

Ellison’s attorney, Deveraux Cannick, spoke to the judge and called into question 6ix9ine’s credibility, warning the jury that they should not believe everything he says. “This whole thing about a kidnapping is a hoax. It’s a Jussie Smollett, if you will,” said Cannick. 

Day Two: Ratting Out Trippie Redd

Trippie Redd performs on stage during Wireless Festival 2019 on July 06, 2019 in London, England – Lorne Thomson/Redferns/Getty Images

Here is when everything started to ramp up. 6ix9ine took the witness stand for the first time in this trial, providing some riveting commentary about all that he witnessed during his time with the gang. We all knew he would talk, but did anybody expect him to be this extra? 

One of the first major headlines that broke from this courtroom event happened when Trippie Redd’s name came up in conversation but, before that, there were some pertinent exchanges between the rapper and his questioning team. He appeared in a blue jumpsuit, answering simple questions about his upbringing, education, involvement in the gang, and more. 69 admitted that he began cooperating with the feds “the day after he was taken down,” noting that it didn’t take long for him to turn on his former friends. After this, Tek recounted how he got started in his music career, working as a busboy and touring parts of Eastern Europe. At the time, he was perfecting his public persona, which would eventually turn out to be his downfall. 

Hernandez discussed his breakout song “GUMMO,” which was played in court, before speaking about why he even wrote the track. “It’s a diss song, toward like somebody I don’t get along with,” he said, name-dropping his bitter rival and throwing him under the bus directly afterwards. “Trippie Redd was part of Five Nine Brims.”

It may have seemed unnecessary for 69 to even bring up Trippie Redd’s gang affiliation but in the grand scheme of things, it made sense. He later spoke about a gang attack that he had ordered on the Ohio-born rapper. After their online beef, Trippie’s manager reportedly reached out to end their fighting but Tekashi wanted to go out with a bang. He planned out an elaborate attack on the man at his hotel.

“Trippie Redd’s manager said he wanted to squash the beef. At the time I was very upset with him, he had already said a lot,” said Hernandez at the stand. “Trippie Redd’s manager gave us the address of his video shoot. I told Shotti I wanted something done about Trippie. We go to Red Hook or around there, industrial area. I’m in a Jeep. We see Trippie Redd’s sprinter van. We surveillanced it, waiting for Trippie Redd. Shotti said he had a few of the homies meeting up with us there. We stake out, Trippie Redd comes, gets in with 15 people. We follow him for an hour on the highway. I recall Harv coming in a 4-door Honda. The sprinter van gets to the hotel. We don’t wanna get spotted. Shotti gets out, tells me to stay in the car. Harv parks parallel to the hotel. He’s with like three other guys. Shotti comes back screaming, ‘It’s fucking Trey Way.’ Shotti said Harv punched Trippie Redd in the mouth.”

Day Three: Chief Keef Shooting & Kidnapping Details

6ix9ine backstage at The Philipp Plein Fashion show at Duggal Greenhouse on February 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York – Thaddaeus McAdams/FilmMagic/Getty Images

The most entertaining day of the trial thus far. Early on, reactions from stars such as Meek Mill and 50 Cent started pouring in. It was also reported that another accused snitch, Troy Ave, was in attendance at the trial. One of the first headlines from Day Three revolved around a huge hip-hop storyline from last year: Chief Keef’s shooting.

Tekashi69 admitted to hiring a hit on the Chicago rapper’s life, paying one of his Nine Trey buddies to shoot at the Glo Gang veteran. The bag was supposed to be $20K but, since Keef was not struck, 6ix9ine says he lowered the total to $10K.

He also said that, months after meeting the Nine Trey gang on the video shoot for “GUMMO,” he gave them a total of $85K to support the gang members in and outside of prison. 6ix9ine also testified that the money would be used for firearms, which was something that his former manager Shotti apparently told him. As Complex points out, much of the day was spent discussing the internal problems within the gang, including between Harv and Shotti. “The gang divided into four pieces,” elaborated Tekashi. “We’re all attacking each other at the same time. They put me in a position where I had to pick a side, and I chose Shotti’s side.”

Later in the day, the rapper details his kidnapping attempt at length. A video of the incident was shown before 6ix9ine told the jury that he was allegedly pleading for his life. “I’m pleading with Harv,” remembered Tek. “I’m telling him, ‘Don’t shoot. I gave you everything. I put money in your pocket.’ I told him that I was tired of being extorted.” At that point, 69 offered his kidnappers $100K to let him go but they decided to just take all of the star’s jewelry instead, heading to his crib and stashing it all in a pink Mickey Mouse diaper bag. That’s when he escaped and looked for medical attention.

Day Four: Jim Jones & Cardi B

6ix9ine (L) and Jim Jones backstage at PlayStation Theater on August 13, 2018 in New York City – Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images

This was the final day of Tekashi69’s testimony and, by far, the most intense. Phone calls were played in court, names were thrown under the bus, and much more. Shockingly enough, Jim Jones managed to find his way into this mess with a call between him and Mel Murda being played for the jury. “You better get to violating,” said Jones to Murda during the exchange. “One of them security better get hit. Something better happen… Shots for everybody, bro. Shots like we at the bar.”

One of the funniest instances came when Tekashi69 spoke about the phone call, referring to Jim Jones as a “retired rapper” before snitching on him, confirming that he’s a member of Nine Trey. 

Jim Jones wasn’t the only celebrity to have gotten dragged into this. Cardi B shook the world up when it was suggested that she was also a member of a different Bloods set. When Mack’s attorney Alex Huot attempted to argue that Tekashi used Cardi B’s rise to fame as a blueprint, 6ix9ine did her dirty. It was initially reported that he named Cardi as a member of the Nine Trey Bloods division but in the transcript, which was released later, that was not the case. 6ix9ine revealed that he knew who Cardi B was, that he knew she was a Blood, but said that he didn’t take any inspiration from her.

Finally, his interview with Angie Martinez was mentioned with the rapper telling everybody that he was “humiliated” after claiming he was untouchable for so long. “I didn’t want to snitch,” he said. “I was still close with Shotti. I was still part of the Nine Trey lineup, and there was a code. There was loyalty involved.”

At the end of it all, Tekashi69 said that he hopes he still has a lot of fans. Only time will tell how this ends. The rapper is expected to get a lighter sentence because of his cooperation, possibly getting out early next year. The trial is set to continue next week, where we will provide you with regular updates on everything. 

Sound off with your thoughts on this whole debacle in the comments.