Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine pleaded guilty to nine counts of racketeering conspiracy, firearms and narcotics trafficking charges in his ongoing criminal case and will cooperate with federal prosecutors, according to recently unsealed court documents. The charges relate to his involvement in a violent gang in New York called the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
Tekashi, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, stated in a trial held last week that he joined the gang in fall 2017. Its members engaged in various criminal acts to "preserve and enhance the power of Nine Trey," he said, adding that he had helped others rob people and once paid someone to shoot at a rival gang member to "maintain or increase my own standing in Nine Trey." Hernandez, 22, also said he sold heroin and participated in the attempted murder of another gang rival.
"At all times I knew that these actions were wrong and in violation of the law," he said. "I apologize to the court, to anyone who was hurt, to my family, friends and fans for what I have done and who I have let down."
Hernandez's sentencing date has not yet been determined. He could face up to life in prison, though it is unclear if or how his cooperation with authorities will affect the sentence.
Hernandez gained a following as a SoundCloud rapper, as those who release their music through the streaming platform are known. Along with XXXTentacion, who was fatally shot last summer, Hernandez represented a sect of the hip-hop scene that deviated from the norm. New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica described him as a "brute-force screamer," in that he "thrives on raps and repetition, as if constantly looking to pick a fistfight."
