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♪
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♪
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[siren wailing]
4
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[train passing]
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VIKRAM GANDHI:
So, you know Tekashi 6ix9ine?
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‐ I move in this building.
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But I know Daniel and Oscar Hernandez.
They are brother‐‐
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MAN: The 6ix9ine bullshit?
MIGUEL: No, I just...
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MAN: What are you doing, bro?
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MAN: I'm gonna come back.
This shit better not be there.
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WOMAN: Steven.
‐ What?
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‐ Yeah, he is.
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00:01:05,661 --> 00:01:06,775
STEVEN: I'm gonna tell Oscar.
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WOMAN: We've known Danny
since he was a baby.
STEVEN: You don't live here, nigga.
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WOMAN: Okay?
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STEVEN: This nigga didn't even
know him like that.
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Everybody's gonna tell you
what you wanna hear.
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‐ Bullshit.
MIGUEL: Nothing bad‐‐
19
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What are you doing, my nigga?
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VIKRAM: I'm not trying to start a problem,
I'm just asking questions. Okay.
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Okay, all right, goodbye. Goodbye.
22
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Let me get the fuck outta here.
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I'm obsessed with understanding
the truth about people.
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The difference between the personas
we show the world
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and our real identities underneath.
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That's how I got drawn in
to the story of Tekashi 6ix9ine.
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MAN 1: 6ix9ine.
MAN 2: 6ix9ine.
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MC 1:
We got Tekashi 6ix9ine in this bitch.
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MC 2:
Tekashi 6ix9ine.
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MC 3: I've got one of the hottest rappers
in New York City.
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REPORTER:
Pretty notorious 22‐year‐old troll.
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MAN 3:
Yo, Tekashi's my guy. He's a top troll.
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‐ I love 6ix9ine.
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DANIEL HERNANDEZ:
Multiple platinum records. Number one.
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00:02:07,461 --> 00:02:09,922
But why would you try and compete
with a platinum recording artist?
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Stupid!
37
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MAN 4:
Got the whole Internet in a frenzy.
38
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MAN 7:
6ix9ine is a fucking genius.
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00:02:15,886 --> 00:02:17,179
MAN 8:
Master marketer.
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VIKRAM: The rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine
is the king of clout, or Internet fame.
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He gained a cult following of millions
all over the world
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hanging on his every word.
43
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‐ Fuck Chief Keef...
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VIKRAM: He went from relative obscurity
to the heights of Internet fame,
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through outrageous rainbow hair,
facial tattoos,
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and flaunting affiliation
with a New York street gang.
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He started beef with rappers
across the country
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and celebrated violent acts against them
on his Instagram account.
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Tekashi 6ix9ine created a digital persona
that no one could ignore
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and through it became one of the most
famous people in the world.
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00:02:56,635 --> 00:02:59,763
Is he for real, though,
or just a master manipulator?
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00:02:59,763 --> 00:03:02,432
When I realized he lived near me
in Brooklyn,
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00:03:02,432 --> 00:03:06,186
I messaged his manager Shotti
about making a documentary.
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‐ It's fucking Treyway!
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VIKRAM
But I never heard back.
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Only weeks later, Tekashi 6ix9ine
was arrested on racketeering charges,
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facing 47 years to life in federal prison.
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After his arrest, he immediately
snitched against his own crew,
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members of the Nine Trey Bloods gang,
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taking the stand in one of the most
public trials in the history of music.
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LAWYER:
Mr. Hernandez, how old are you?
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DANIEL: 23.
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MAN:
Mr. Hernandez, where were you born?
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DANIEL:
Bushwick, Brooklyn.
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LAWYER:
Do you go by any other names?
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DANIEL: Yes.
LAWYER: What are those names?
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‐ Tekashi, Tekashi 6ix9ine.
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♪ hip‐hop beat playing ♪
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♪
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VIKRAM: We live in a world
dominated by cults of personality
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who use the Internet to gain
fame and fortune.
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But who are these people that are
trying to grab our attention?
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I wanted to understand
who this kid really was
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under the tattoos
and behind the gangster persona.
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So I took to the streets of Brooklyn
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to follow in the footsteps
of a kid named Daniel Hernandez.
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♪ drums and cymbals playing ♪
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♪
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♪ Uh, uh, okay ♪
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♪ rapping ♪
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♪ rapping continues ♪
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SHADOW THE GREAT:
Bushwick right now, it's changing.
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00:05:07,808 --> 00:05:11,061
Like I'm walking on blocks
that's totally renovated
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00:05:11,061 --> 00:05:13,605
and those buildings
used to be crack spots
85
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and now like they're duplexes and shit.
86
00:05:15,816 --> 00:05:17,234
Like it's... it's crazy.
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00:05:19,069 --> 00:05:23,115
I'd say five years ago,
less money, more poverty.
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Less jobs.
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And now it look like
the neighborhood is booming.
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More bars, more clubs, more apartments.
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Artists everywhere.
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Studios is popping up
in every block now.
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00:05:36,128 --> 00:05:37,254
It wasn't like that before.
94
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We used to have to go
all the way to the city.
95
00:05:39,882 --> 00:05:42,050
Like this is really like
an extension of the city now.
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00:05:47,014 --> 00:05:51,518
I would say 2011, I met Danny
on Myrtle and Broadway on his block
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in Bushwick.
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Tough block.
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Danny was a cool kid.
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He was a youngin, you know.
He just needed guidance.
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He needed direction.
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He wasn't like a delinquent or nothing.
He wasn't no jailbird.
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00:06:04,114 --> 00:06:07,492
He was a cool young Hispanic kid
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00:06:07,492 --> 00:06:10,704
from the ghettos of Bushwick, Brooklyn.
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VIKRAM: Was poverty
a huge driving force for him?
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SHADOW: For all of us.
107
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That's why he goes so hard
'cause nobody wanna be hungry again.
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Nobody want they daughter starving.
Nobody want they mom starving.
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Yeah, he's from it.
He's definitely from it.
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DANIEL:
Bushwick, borderline Bed‐Stuy.
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Right on Myrtle Avenue.
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Right on Locust.
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That's my hood.
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I feel like,
when people meet famous people,
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they can't make that connection
that we are you guys,
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00:06:44,446 --> 00:06:47,282
but before all of this,
we come from some place, right?
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This is where I came from
before all of this fame.
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00:06:50,994 --> 00:06:54,081
I have two family members, like, ever.
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My mama came here from Mexico by herself.
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She had my brother in '94.
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Had me in '96.
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My biological dad left.
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Us three trooped it out.
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00:07:07,970 --> 00:07:11,765
SARA MOLINA: My upbringing
was totally different compared to his.
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00:07:11,765 --> 00:07:15,352
As a child, like, we didn't live rich,
but we weren't poor,
126
00:07:15,352 --> 00:07:19,314
and I never had to like want
or need for anything growing up.
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It made me kind of feel pity for him.
128
00:07:23,235 --> 00:07:25,279
DANIEL:
Just a fucking regular kid in Brooklyn.
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00:07:25,821 --> 00:07:28,448
This was actually my home,
where me and my mom,
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my brother and his girlfriend,
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my girlfriend, my daughter lived.
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I actually slept on this bed
with my mom, um...
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till a fucking late‐ass age.
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00:07:38,959 --> 00:07:43,213
This was the first computer I bought
to learn how to edit videos myself.
135
00:07:43,213 --> 00:07:46,049
Like this was, like,
I spent my last couple of dollars
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00:07:46,049 --> 00:07:47,634
buying this shit.
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SARA:
Railroad apartment...
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I hated living there the first few months.
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I hated it so much.
140
00:07:54,725 --> 00:07:57,477
It was nothing like what I was used to.
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00:07:57,477 --> 00:08:00,105
His mom was a really bad hoarder, so...
142
00:08:00,105 --> 00:08:03,817
wherever there was a little bit of space,
it wasn't there for long.
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00:08:03,817 --> 00:08:06,486
Made me wanna pull my hair out.
144
00:08:08,822 --> 00:08:10,824
We had some mutual friends.
145
00:08:10,824 --> 00:08:14,036
I went to high school
with some people that he knew
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00:08:14,036 --> 00:08:15,495
and he was friends with,
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00:08:15,495 --> 00:08:20,542
so he saw that and he ended up
reaching out to me through Facebook.
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And from that day,
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00:08:22,669 --> 00:08:24,713
we spoke every day after that.
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VIKRAM:
Is he your first boyfriend?
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00:08:27,883 --> 00:08:29,134
‐ Yeah.
152
00:08:31,303 --> 00:08:33,889
I was in love, I was young.
153
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I thought he was so funny.
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I thought he was so charismatic.
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00:08:39,186 --> 00:08:43,482
Even now, as much as people‐‐
he gets under people's skin,
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there's still something that all people
take to him that they like.
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LAWYER: Did you work?
DANIEL: Yes.
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00:08:50,531 --> 00:08:51,740
LAWYER:
What did you do?
159
00:08:51,740 --> 00:08:55,494
DANIEL: I started working at the...
I wanna say the age of 13.
160
00:08:55,494 --> 00:08:58,747
I got a job at a grocery store
named Stay Fresh Grill,
161
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where I worked as the delivery boy.
162
00:09:01,083 --> 00:09:03,335
I worked up to register.
163
00:09:03,335 --> 00:09:06,296
Shortly after that, became a rapper.
164
00:09:10,008 --> 00:09:12,636
‐ I moved to New York in 2011,
165
00:09:12,636 --> 00:09:13,929
from Chicago.
166
00:09:13,929 --> 00:09:16,932
And I landed in Locust Street.
167
00:09:16,932 --> 00:09:21,186
And I was really into street art
and graffiti at that time.
168
00:09:21,186 --> 00:09:23,272
I think I was the only
169
00:09:23,272 --> 00:09:27,943
"nonoriginal resident"
on the, on the, the block.
170
00:09:27,943 --> 00:09:30,571
And, you know,
taking the train into the city,
171
00:09:30,571 --> 00:09:32,364
getting my coffee in the morning,
172
00:09:32,364 --> 00:09:34,616
getting my drunk eats at night.
173
00:09:34,616 --> 00:09:37,870
Always at the same
24‐hours bodega, Stay Fresh.
174
00:09:37,870 --> 00:09:40,205
And Danny was there
behind the counter.
175
00:09:41,498 --> 00:09:44,168
You know, there's a weird thing
about bodegas
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and at certain ones.
177
00:09:45,961 --> 00:09:48,046
Like, the counter's always raised a bit,
178
00:09:48,046 --> 00:09:51,175
so you're kind of holding court
over the entire store,
179
00:09:51,175 --> 00:09:52,676
or convenience mart, you know.
180
00:09:52,676 --> 00:09:54,261
So that's what he did, you know?
181
00:09:54,261 --> 00:09:56,972
You walked in and he'd be
yelling at this person,
182
00:09:56,972 --> 00:09:58,682
smiling and talking, you know.
183
00:09:58,682 --> 00:10:00,434
Recognize you, "What's up, Adam?"
184
00:10:01,059 --> 00:10:06,023
It's just this little bizarre
environment of energy.
185
00:10:07,232 --> 00:10:09,735
At that time, it was the meeting place.
186
00:10:09,735 --> 00:10:12,196
And you have all these different
types of people coming in.
187
00:10:12,696 --> 00:10:14,740
Dumb white kid from the farmland.
188
00:10:14,740 --> 00:10:17,367
You know, rappers, artists.
189
00:10:17,367 --> 00:10:22,623
And Danny probably was very spongelike,
you know, absorbing all this.
190
00:10:28,587 --> 00:10:30,047
[siren wailing]
191
00:10:31,006 --> 00:10:33,675
♪ Shadow the Great rapping ♪
192
00:10:33,675 --> 00:10:35,677
♪
193
00:10:46,813 --> 00:10:50,275
SHADOW:
So, Loaf Muzik started around 2009.
194
00:10:50,275 --> 00:10:51,777
It was a collective.
195
00:10:51,777 --> 00:10:56,782
We had break‐dancers, graffiti writers,
producers, DJs, and MCs.
196
00:10:56,782 --> 00:11:00,118
It started with the MCs
and then it became a home
197
00:11:00,118 --> 00:11:04,373
for other young kids
in Brooklyn, Bushwick, to create.
198
00:11:04,373 --> 00:11:07,459
Loaf was a opportunity
for him to express himself
199
00:11:07,459 --> 00:11:11,547
and escape the realities of what
he was going through on his side,
200
00:11:11,547 --> 00:11:13,131
'cause I know his father died.
201
00:11:13,549 --> 00:11:16,677
Like for all of us, I felt like Loaf
was the father figure.
202
00:11:16,677 --> 00:11:20,097
And Danny, it was his home
and he fit into that.
203
00:11:20,889 --> 00:11:22,766
Before that,
he knew nothing about music.
204
00:11:22,766 --> 00:11:24,685
He never performed a day in his life.
205
00:11:24,685 --> 00:11:27,062
Never went to a party,
never went to a show.
206
00:11:27,521 --> 00:11:30,107
We introduced him
to our own collective
207
00:11:30,107 --> 00:11:33,151
and gave him a home
where he can be himself and create.
208
00:11:33,151 --> 00:11:34,903
And that's when he started
creating clothing.
209
00:11:35,696 --> 00:11:39,575
DANIEL: I felt, walking into school,
I was just like invisible.
210
00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,035
I was never fly, like...
211
00:11:42,035 --> 00:11:44,913
I was always clean, but I was just,
I didn't have nothing new like.
212
00:11:45,706 --> 00:11:47,040
And that always stuck with me.
213
00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:49,835
So I just had to make a loud presence.
214
00:11:51,461 --> 00:11:53,422
ADAM LUCAS:
He stood out on the block, for one,
215
00:11:53,422 --> 00:11:55,507
'cause of the clothes he would wear.
216
00:11:55,507 --> 00:11:58,427
I mean, he'd show up
in the most outrageous shit,
217
00:11:58,427 --> 00:12:01,847
and his clothing line,
with 69 or HIV, like,
218
00:12:01,847 --> 00:12:03,557
just some really shock value.
219
00:12:03,557 --> 00:12:06,101
And it's just 'cause he just wanted eyes
on it, and like, "There you go.
220
00:12:06,101 --> 00:12:08,353
I knew that was a good idea.
I know how the Internet works."
221
00:12:08,353 --> 00:12:10,564
SHADOW: His first shock value
was the clothing.
222
00:12:10,564 --> 00:12:12,482
He would write the crazy shit
on the clothes
223
00:12:12,482 --> 00:12:14,318
and get people's attention.
224
00:12:14,318 --> 00:12:16,069
‐ I got the perfect shirt, bro.
225
00:12:16,069 --> 00:12:17,571
‐ Which one?
‐ Look, hold this.
226
00:12:18,989 --> 00:12:20,157
‐ "Pussy."
227
00:12:20,157 --> 00:12:22,201
[chuckles]
228
00:12:22,201 --> 00:12:23,619
"Pussy eater."
229
00:12:23,619 --> 00:12:27,080
‐ [Danny laughing]
230
00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,166
DANIEL:
I'm such a nigga, bro.
231
00:12:29,166 --> 00:12:33,253
SARA: You get used to someone
pointing at his shirt and laughing,
232
00:12:33,253 --> 00:12:36,882
and stopping to, "Yo, can I take
a picture with you and your shirt?"
233
00:12:36,882 --> 00:12:39,968
Then I'm the one that's like
awkwardly taking the picture.
234
00:12:39,968 --> 00:12:41,345
"Can you take the picture?"
235
00:12:41,345 --> 00:12:43,555
He loved the attention.
236
00:12:45,265 --> 00:12:48,727
VIKRAM: These are some of the earliest
traces of Danny on social media.
237
00:12:48,727 --> 00:12:52,898
Images of him dressed in his loud clothes
were being shared on Reddit.
238
00:12:53,607 --> 00:12:57,819
The comments section was full of people
both praising him and trolling him.
239
00:12:58,278 --> 00:13:00,280
This was his first taste of clout.
240
00:13:06,995 --> 00:13:09,957
SHADOW: He was part of the video
production and the clothing,
241
00:13:09,957 --> 00:13:13,961
when it came to us hanging out,
so he would come along with the videos.
242
00:13:13,961 --> 00:13:18,340
The first video I shot that he was in
was a video on YouTube called "Illa."
243
00:13:18,340 --> 00:13:20,259
And you see him in the background.
244
00:13:20,259 --> 00:13:21,677
♪ Yo, I'm in it for the skrilla ♪
245
00:13:21,677 --> 00:13:23,679
♪ rapping continues ♪
246
00:13:28,642 --> 00:13:31,103
SHADOW: That was the first video
he actually was in on camera.
247
00:13:31,895 --> 00:13:34,648
And then we did a couple more.
We did one called "Canser."
248
00:13:34,648 --> 00:13:38,402
♪ rapping ♪
249
00:13:38,402 --> 00:13:42,072
SHADOW:
He was printing up his own T‐shirts,
his own pants, his own hats.
250
00:13:42,072 --> 00:13:44,867
And I kept telling him, like,
"Yo, you should really start selling that,
251
00:13:44,867 --> 00:13:47,744
"'cause when people see all
of this crazy shit on your clothes,
252
00:13:47,744 --> 00:13:49,413
they gonna wanna buy it."
253
00:13:49,413 --> 00:13:54,501
♪ rapping ♪
254
00:13:54,501 --> 00:13:56,170
SHADOW:
But he had his own plans already.
255
00:13:56,170 --> 00:13:59,006
He was like, "Nah, like,
I'm gonna do what y'all doin'."
256
00:13:59,006 --> 00:14:01,842
He was looking at the stage
and the love from the crowd.
257
00:14:01,842 --> 00:14:04,511
And he's like, "Yo, I want that."
258
00:14:06,638 --> 00:14:08,640
♪
259
00:14:19,526 --> 00:14:21,945
DAVID PERCY:
Gangs have always played a very big part
260
00:14:21,945 --> 00:14:23,572
in all of our lives out here.
261
00:14:23,572 --> 00:14:28,118
And whether you're in
or not in a gang in this neighborhood,
262
00:14:28,118 --> 00:14:29,912
you're affected by it.
263
00:14:29,912 --> 00:14:32,664
Because you have sisters,
you have brothers,
264
00:14:32,664 --> 00:14:35,167
you have uncles, you have fathers.
265
00:14:35,167 --> 00:14:38,712
People that you love
that grew up in that life.
266
00:14:38,712 --> 00:14:40,964
VIKRAM: Were you ever part
of a gang at any point?
267
00:14:40,964 --> 00:14:42,424
‐ If I was part of a gang?
268
00:14:42,424 --> 00:14:43,884
[chuckles]
269
00:14:43,884 --> 00:14:46,053
I grew up in this neighborhood,
let's say that.
270
00:14:47,346 --> 00:14:50,557
DANIEL: I was surrounded by Bloods,
Crips, Latin Kings.
271
00:14:50,557 --> 00:14:53,268
Gangs has been all of my life.
272
00:14:54,645 --> 00:14:58,732
SARA: His stepfather was like
a major highlight of his life.
273
00:15:00,859 --> 00:15:04,363
VIKRAM: Do you know anything
about the murder or anything?
274
00:15:04,363 --> 00:15:08,659
SARA: I know he had told me that
his stepfather was gang‐affiliated.
275
00:15:08,659 --> 00:15:12,329
He was asked, I guess, to go
to the store, the supermarket,
276
00:15:12,329 --> 00:15:14,915
with his stepfather, and his stepfather...
277
00:15:14,915 --> 00:15:18,877
And he told him that he didn't wanna go,
so, a little while after that,
278
00:15:18,877 --> 00:15:22,422
they came knocking
on Danny's mom's door
279
00:15:22,422 --> 00:15:26,426
and on Danny's door saying that
their stepfather is two blocks away,
280
00:15:26,426 --> 00:15:28,345
you know, on the ground, bleeding.
281
00:15:28,345 --> 00:15:30,097
[siren wailing]
282
00:15:30,097 --> 00:15:32,891
VIKRAM: As a teenager,
Danny would walk past the location
283
00:15:32,891 --> 00:15:35,435
of his stepfather's murder
every single day
284
00:15:35,435 --> 00:15:37,896
on his way to work at the bodega.
285
00:15:37,896 --> 00:15:40,023
DANIEL: Like I tell ya,
I hate myself for that shit.
286
00:15:40,023 --> 00:15:43,485
I was 13, I weighed like 150.
287
00:15:43,485 --> 00:15:46,780
I dropped to like 90, 80 pounds.
288
00:15:46,780 --> 00:15:48,949
I didn't shower in like two months.
289
00:15:49,533 --> 00:15:52,286
VIKRAM: How do you think
this all affected Danny?
290
00:15:52,286 --> 00:15:56,373
‐ I think it just makes him feel
like he can't get close to anybody now.
291
00:15:57,916 --> 00:16:01,253
I feel like he feels like
he don't deserve anything good.
292
00:16:03,380 --> 00:16:06,216
DANIEL: I felt like my pops
was a superhero.
293
00:16:06,216 --> 00:16:08,510
I felt like my pops was invincible.
294
00:16:08,510 --> 00:16:12,222
So when they took my pops from me,
that made me rebel.
295
00:16:12,222 --> 00:16:14,183
You know what I'm sayin'?
That made me angry.
296
00:16:14,183 --> 00:16:16,685
I don't wanna be a superhero.
I'm a villain.
297
00:16:16,685 --> 00:16:18,020
Fuck being a superhero.
298
00:16:19,313 --> 00:16:21,231
LAWYER: You started
a music career, is that right?
299
00:16:21,231 --> 00:16:23,525
DANIEL: Yes.
At the store I was working in,
300
00:16:23,525 --> 00:16:27,696
Stay Fresh Grill, there was a guy
out there named Peter Rogers.
301
00:16:27,696 --> 00:16:30,657
He asked me if I made music
and if I rapped.
302
00:16:30,657 --> 00:16:32,993
And we started making music
from the deli.
303
00:16:32,993 --> 00:16:36,205
VIKRAM: Together
with Peter and Peter's brother ZillaKami,
304
00:16:36,205 --> 00:16:38,290
the collective "Scum Gang" was born.
305
00:16:39,166 --> 00:16:42,127
DANIEL: "Scum" stands for
"Society can't understand me."
306
00:16:42,127 --> 00:16:44,379
And that's where Scum Gang
comes into play.
307
00:16:44,379 --> 00:16:48,091
I stand out for the kids that
can't stand out for themselves.
308
00:16:48,091 --> 00:16:52,721
And I'm making it cool to be a bum.
I'm making it cool to be poor.
309
00:16:54,306 --> 00:16:57,893
VIKRAM: Peter's roommate,
a Japanese tattoo artist named Takashi,
310
00:16:57,893 --> 00:17:00,354
would inspire Danny's new persona...
311
00:17:01,188 --> 00:17:02,773
Tekashi 69.
312
00:17:05,025 --> 00:17:07,110
JORDAN GRANADOS:
It began with him playing
313
00:17:07,110 --> 00:17:09,071
Nirvana "Come As You Are,"
314
00:17:09,071 --> 00:17:11,615
and he was getting head in the video.
315
00:17:11,615 --> 00:17:13,951
I was like, "Okay,
this is fucking different.
316
00:17:13,951 --> 00:17:14,993
This is out there."
317
00:17:14,993 --> 00:17:16,578
And then the song was catchy.
318
00:17:16,578 --> 00:17:20,207
His image was like fucking, like electric.
319
00:17:20,207 --> 00:17:22,084
DANIEL:
♪ Callin' me, textin' me ♪
320
00:17:22,084 --> 00:17:24,253
♪ Blowin' up my fuckin' phone ♪
321
00:17:24,253 --> 00:17:25,963
♪ I ain't even fucked that bit ♪
322
00:17:25,963 --> 00:17:28,173
♪ All I did was... ♪
323
00:17:28,173 --> 00:17:32,302
SARA: I saw the video,
I was insecure, and I was just like,
324
00:17:32,302 --> 00:17:35,931
it's the first time I ever seen him
like really playing to the character now.
325
00:17:35,931 --> 00:17:38,058
This is Tekashi 6ix9ine.
326
00:17:38,058 --> 00:17:41,103
JORDAN:
The video had his outlandish style.
327
00:17:41,103 --> 00:17:43,188
It had Lamborghinis.
328
00:17:43,188 --> 00:17:46,817
A 17‐year‐old renting out Lamborghinis
for a video, that's cool as fuck.
329
00:17:46,817 --> 00:17:52,030
ADAM: And I see like three to five to six,
you know, very nice, flashy Lamborghinis,
330
00:17:52,030 --> 00:17:54,825
I'm like, "Okay, man,
he's not full of bullshit."
331
00:17:54,825 --> 00:17:58,495
He's making moves at 15, 16, 17.
332
00:17:58,495 --> 00:18:01,623
I was playing Nintendo 64 when I was 16
in my underwear on a Friday night.
333
00:18:03,041 --> 00:18:05,419
SHADOW:
One time we had a photo shoot.
334
00:18:05,419 --> 00:18:07,838
Him and Chad played
a record called "Pimpin',"
335
00:18:07,838 --> 00:18:11,550
And he's like, "Yeah, this is me,"
and I'm like, "Get the fuck out of here.
This is you?"
336
00:18:11,550 --> 00:18:16,889
♪ Tekashi69 rapping ♪
337
00:18:19,391 --> 00:18:21,393
SHADOW:
He asked me to shoot the video.
338
00:18:21,393 --> 00:18:22,644
I went to his house.
339
00:18:22,644 --> 00:18:24,563
They just had a whole bunch
of props and shit,
340
00:18:24,563 --> 00:18:27,482
like a whole bunch of like keys
of cocaine props bagged up.
341
00:18:27,482 --> 00:18:31,528
And I'm just like, "Yo, what the fuck
am I shooting right now?"
342
00:18:32,404 --> 00:18:34,948
I was all for it.
I'm like, "Yo, fuck it, okay. Fuck it."
343
00:18:34,948 --> 00:18:37,075
Like, at least he not killing people
344
00:18:37,075 --> 00:18:40,120
and at least he's not, uh,
on the streets or whatever like.
345
00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:44,583
He's trying to create this crazy
shock‐value content,
346
00:18:44,583 --> 00:18:47,753
so people can look at it and be like,
"Oh, what the fuck is this?"
347
00:18:48,378 --> 00:18:50,964
VIKRAM:
These early videos were getting retweets
348
00:18:50,964 --> 00:18:53,383
and finding a small fan base.
349
00:18:53,967 --> 00:18:56,053
He started getting noticed
by hip‐hop blogs.
350
00:18:57,054 --> 00:19:00,849
But the Internet is crowded
and a difficult place to stand out.
351
00:19:02,059 --> 00:19:06,188
DANIEL: One day I woke up and I said,
"Yo, I'm a loud person on the mike,
352
00:19:06,188 --> 00:19:09,650
and when I walk in a room,
I already have a loud presence."
353
00:19:09,650 --> 00:19:12,736
And I say,
"Yo, I want my look to be loud."
354
00:19:13,362 --> 00:19:17,616
DAVID: He first came into my shop
to ask for a 6ix9ine tattoo.
355
00:19:17,616 --> 00:19:21,537
It's always been policy here
that anybody coming of that age
356
00:19:21,537 --> 00:19:25,290
cannot get a tattoo on their hand
or on their face
357
00:19:25,290 --> 00:19:27,835
that would affect their future.
358
00:19:27,835 --> 00:19:30,838
He simply said,
359
00:19:30,838 --> 00:19:34,258
"I am going to do this.
You don't understand.
360
00:19:34,258 --> 00:19:36,593
"I am going to be a rapper.
361
00:19:36,593 --> 00:19:41,014
No matter which way you look at it,
I am 6ix9ine."
362
00:19:45,394 --> 00:19:49,982
It's a never‐ending cycle of generation
after generation after generation
363
00:19:49,982 --> 00:19:52,734
after generation
of going through this poverty
364
00:19:52,734 --> 00:19:56,071
and going through this crap
and having to endure all this shit.
365
00:19:56,071 --> 00:19:57,906
So that's what was in his mind.
366
00:19:57,906 --> 00:20:01,159
He was determined
to break that poverty cycle.
367
00:20:01,159 --> 00:20:05,038
No matter what, we're not
gonna be fuckin' poor no more.
368
00:20:10,169 --> 00:20:13,130
VIKRAM: Do you remember
when he first got his hair dyed?
369
00:20:13,130 --> 00:20:14,840
Were you with him?
370
00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,177
SARA:
Yeah, I'm the one that found the salon.
371
00:20:18,177 --> 00:20:22,097
Where we're from,
not many of the salons around the way
372
00:20:22,931 --> 00:20:25,392
do those type of colors, so I'm just...
373
00:20:25,392 --> 00:20:28,896
I was like,
"We'll have to go to Williamsburg."
374
00:20:28,896 --> 00:20:32,774
And I called, I made the appointment,
and we walked in there,
375
00:20:32,774 --> 00:20:35,027
and they was like,
"So, what are you getting done?"
376
00:20:35,027 --> 00:20:38,530
And I was like,
"Oh, it's not for me, it's for him."
377
00:20:46,496 --> 00:20:48,999
REBECCA FAYE:
This is just from, you know, a while ago.
378
00:20:48,999 --> 00:20:51,960
He let me do a little
cool promotion for my shop...
379
00:20:52,753 --> 00:20:56,215
uh, so that if people wanted to get
their hair colored where he does,
380
00:20:56,215 --> 00:20:58,300
they would win a chance to meet him.
381
00:21:00,594 --> 00:21:04,598
The first time,
he wanted like a light mint green
382
00:21:04,598 --> 00:21:07,017
to a fade of light purple.
383
00:21:07,017 --> 00:21:09,520
I just thought, like, "Who's this kid?
384
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:11,730
You know, it's great. Let's do it."
385
00:21:13,023 --> 00:21:15,067
VIKRAM: What did he say to you
his reason was?
386
00:21:15,067 --> 00:21:17,861
REBECCA: He said he was a rapper
and that he was gonna be
387
00:21:17,861 --> 00:21:21,031
a really famous rapper one day,
and, you know, I teased him
388
00:21:21,031 --> 00:21:22,783
because he had the little 69s,
and I was like,
389
00:21:22,783 --> 00:21:24,493
"Well, you gotta
do something with it
390
00:21:24,493 --> 00:21:27,204
'cause it'll be hard for you
to find a normal job."
391
00:21:27,996 --> 00:21:30,749
He needed his look, you know,
to be different.
392
00:21:35,963 --> 00:21:39,800
I feel like, since Danny
did his hair rainbow,
393
00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:45,597
the whole world, the whole like Internet,
became a craze of rainbow.
394
00:21:45,597 --> 00:21:48,267
VIKRAM: So you're saying like you've
actually seen an effect because of him?
395
00:21:48,267 --> 00:21:50,227
He's such a...
‐ Oh, 100%.
396
00:21:50,727 --> 00:21:53,730
Everybody was following
in his footsteps, I think. [laughs]
397
00:21:53,730 --> 00:21:54,690
VIKRAM: Wow.
398
00:21:54,690 --> 00:21:56,400
REBECCA:
He's a trendsetter.
399
00:22:08,537 --> 00:22:10,664
VIKRAM: One of the ways
to get noticed in hip‐hop
400
00:22:10,664 --> 00:22:14,001
is to be co‐signed
by other more successful artists.
401
00:22:14,751 --> 00:22:18,005
It gives you street cred
and potential for gaining clout
402
00:22:18,005 --> 00:22:20,757
through other people's
social media presence.
403
00:22:24,803 --> 00:22:27,347
‐ Let me hear that verse.
You got it? Right?
404
00:22:27,347 --> 00:22:30,100
♪ I know this ain't something
you ain't used to ♪
405
00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:32,811
♪ The way I eat that pussy
she go cuckoo ♪
406
00:22:32,811 --> 00:22:35,314
♪ Netflix ain't been hittin'
switch to Hulu ♪
407
00:22:35,314 --> 00:22:36,607
♪ Want some new‐new... ♪
408
00:22:36,607 --> 00:22:39,026
VIKRAM: When you worked with 6ix9ine,
he must have been like...
409
00:22:39,026 --> 00:22:42,112
BODEGA BAMZ: 17 years old.
6ix9ine came to Spanish Harlem.
410
00:22:42,112 --> 00:22:45,657
I was going to a bar called the Duck,
right here down the block.
411
00:22:46,283 --> 00:22:49,453
He couldn't get in 'cause he was 17.
Young kid, you know what I'm saying?
412
00:22:49,453 --> 00:22:51,079
And this kid is Puerto Rican and Mexican.
413
00:22:51,079 --> 00:22:55,250
That's why he want to fuck with me
'cause I'm the marquee Latino in New York.
414
00:22:55,250 --> 00:22:56,418
Know what I'm sayin'?
415
00:22:56,418 --> 00:22:59,296
Like so I was one of those names
that he needed to get over.
416
00:22:59,296 --> 00:23:01,715
And once he did that,
you know what I'm sayin',
417
00:23:01,715 --> 00:23:04,510
that was good for his résumé.
"Oh, you with this dude.
418
00:23:04,510 --> 00:23:06,136
"Oh, you with Bodega Bamz.
That's what's up.
419
00:23:06,136 --> 00:23:07,387
Let me check this kid out."
420
00:23:07,387 --> 00:23:10,224
VIKRAM: Are people using each other?
Is he using you or using...?
421
00:23:10,224 --> 00:23:12,059
‐ Yeah, yeah.
422
00:23:12,059 --> 00:23:13,393
This is a use‐use game.
423
00:23:13,393 --> 00:23:15,854
If you don't wanna get used,
get the fuck out.
424
00:23:18,023 --> 00:23:21,693
What I saw from him from the gate was
he would do whatever to be famous.
425
00:23:21,693 --> 00:23:24,071
To the point where that's why I didn't
wanna do a record with him,
426
00:23:24,071 --> 00:23:25,280
'cause I thought that was dangerous.
427
00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:28,283
And I ain't like his message,
because when I first met him,
428
00:23:28,283 --> 00:23:33,288
he had shirts that said "HIV, AIDS,"
you know, that weirdo shit.
429
00:23:33,288 --> 00:23:35,457
That's his whole thing,
shock value, shock value.
430
00:23:35,457 --> 00:23:38,418
This is before he had any face tattoos.
431
00:23:38,418 --> 00:23:41,672
Case in point why he colored his hair.
The shock value, he was into that.
432
00:23:41,672 --> 00:23:45,175
The shit he was doin' was mad weird,
but his talent was...
433
00:23:45,175 --> 00:23:46,885
you had to respect it as a creator.
434
00:23:46,885 --> 00:23:49,471
VIKRAM: Tell me about the song
and the music video, like what's in it,
435
00:23:49,471 --> 00:23:50,931
like, the shock value...?
436
00:23:50,931 --> 00:23:53,141
‐ The song, the song, the song.
The shock value was hood.
437
00:23:53,141 --> 00:23:57,062
You gotta watch the video, but...
the song was called, um, "Shinigami."
438
00:23:57,062 --> 00:23:59,815
Um... I don't know
what the fuck that means.
439
00:23:59,815 --> 00:24:02,276
JORDAN: I'll play "Shinigami"
'cause that's my favorite.
440
00:24:02,276 --> 00:24:05,362
We did this one way back.
441
00:24:05,362 --> 00:24:08,740
♪ rapping ♪
442
00:24:12,536 --> 00:24:14,079
BODEGA:
He directed the whole video.
443
00:24:14,079 --> 00:24:15,831
Like he literally came up
with the treatment.
444
00:24:15,831 --> 00:24:18,417
He had like a mob in the scene
on the train station.
445
00:24:18,417 --> 00:24:21,170
He has a kid eatin' a chicken bone.
446
00:24:21,170 --> 00:24:23,630
That kid looks so devilish.
447
00:24:23,630 --> 00:24:25,382
And I'm like, that's scary.
448
00:24:25,382 --> 00:24:27,217
So he invoked that,
you know what I'm sayin'?
449
00:24:27,217 --> 00:24:28,886
Like he invoked those kind of scenes.
450
00:24:28,886 --> 00:24:31,346
There was a kid just chewing
on the fuckin' chicken bone.
451
00:24:31,346 --> 00:24:33,599
There's another scene where he's
hanging out the window
452
00:24:33,599 --> 00:24:35,767
like Heath Ledger in
"Batman: Dark Knight."
453
00:24:35,767 --> 00:24:39,104
There's another scene where he got a dude
shooting up dope in the video.
454
00:24:39,855 --> 00:24:42,274
The dude got the fucking needle
hanging off his arm.
455
00:24:44,818 --> 00:24:47,529
First of all, that video caught a wave,
like it went viral, right,
456
00:24:47,529 --> 00:24:50,490
to my surprise, 'cause I ain't think
it was gonna do that well as he did.
457
00:24:50,490 --> 00:24:52,201
'Cause he's a new artist.
VIKRAM: Yeah.
458
00:24:52,201 --> 00:24:54,620
BODEGA: But people fucked with it,
they gravitated towards it.
459
00:24:55,537 --> 00:24:57,706
DANIEL:
I've been going viral forever.
460
00:24:57,706 --> 00:25:00,417
I'm the king of getting
my Instagram deleted.
461
00:25:00,417 --> 00:25:02,669
What is this,
like my fifth Instagram?
462
00:25:04,463 --> 00:25:06,715
JORDAN: 6ix9ine was visual,
he was meant to be seen.
463
00:25:06,715 --> 00:25:09,343
Like, y'all don't understand,
he went viral viral.
464
00:25:09,343 --> 00:25:12,221
Like he had like a Vine that was
getting millions of views.
465
00:25:12,221 --> 00:25:13,805
Snoop Dogg, Odd Future.
466
00:25:13,805 --> 00:25:15,933
A whole bunch of other guys,
they put him up
467
00:25:15,933 --> 00:25:18,060
on like their Twitters
and Instagrams at the time.
468
00:25:18,060 --> 00:25:20,521
He pedigreed a chick on a bed.
469
00:25:20,521 --> 00:25:22,731
Someone took it from his Instagram
and put it on Vine.
470
00:25:22,731 --> 00:25:25,067
Back when Vine
was still like the hottest shit.
471
00:25:25,859 --> 00:25:28,070
DANIEL:
I was always at it going viral.
472
00:25:28,070 --> 00:25:30,447
Always naked girls, me pedigreeing girls,
473
00:25:30,447 --> 00:25:32,866
you know what I'm sayin',
me catching head.
474
00:25:32,866 --> 00:25:35,035
SARA:
I don't know who the girls are.
475
00:25:35,035 --> 00:25:38,330
I felt embarrassed a little bit.
476
00:25:38,330 --> 00:25:41,333
I was like, oh, my God,
people know who he is.
477
00:25:41,333 --> 00:25:44,336
People know, who know me,
know who he is to me
478
00:25:44,336 --> 00:25:45,963
and who I am to him.
479
00:25:45,963 --> 00:25:48,340
VIKRAM: What do you think
he was getting out of it?
480
00:25:48,340 --> 00:25:50,801
'Cause it obviously turned into
like an addiction.
481
00:25:50,801 --> 00:25:52,386
SARA: Yeah, the attention.
482
00:25:52,386 --> 00:25:55,639
"This video did so good,
I have to do another video,
483
00:25:55,639 --> 00:25:59,226
and it's gonna get more views
and it's gonna get reposted more times."
484
00:26:00,686 --> 00:26:03,063
VIKRAM: It sound like
the transforming into 6ix9ine
485
00:26:03,063 --> 00:26:06,024
is the addiction to attention.
SARA: Yeah.
486
00:26:06,024 --> 00:26:09,695
The more he became 6ix9ine,
the more attention he...
487
00:26:09,695 --> 00:26:12,281
he got, so he became obsessive with it.
488
00:26:12,281 --> 00:26:13,699
[cheering]
489
00:26:13,699 --> 00:26:15,450
VIKRAM:
Shock and awe is nothing new.
490
00:26:15,450 --> 00:26:17,744
Ozzy Osbourne bit off a bat's head,
491
00:26:17,744 --> 00:26:21,206
Marilyn Manson worshipped the devil
and exposed himself on stage,
492
00:26:21,206 --> 00:26:24,168
and 2 Live Crew's videos verged on porn.
493
00:26:25,127 --> 00:26:29,214
Danny combined sex, crime,
drug use, expensive cars,
494
00:26:29,214 --> 00:26:32,718
and all the images
that teenagers are addicted to,
495
00:26:32,718 --> 00:26:36,930
to build his 6ix9ine persona
and break through on the Internet.
496
00:26:37,598 --> 00:26:40,392
But one night,
his antics crossed the line.
497
00:26:41,852 --> 00:26:44,021
‐ I don't want no kids to be in my shoes.
498
00:26:44,021 --> 00:26:46,607
Yo, I was literally
just trying to figure out
499
00:26:46,607 --> 00:26:48,692
how can I make it in this rap game?
500
00:26:48,692 --> 00:26:52,487
That night, I was literally
shooting a music video
501
00:26:52,487 --> 00:26:54,990
in a fuckin' traphouse in Harlem.
502
00:26:54,990 --> 00:26:57,618
I'm from Brooklyn. I never go to Harlem.
503
00:26:57,618 --> 00:26:58,660
You know what I'm sayin'?
504
00:26:58,660 --> 00:27:00,913
It's just some guys I met randomly.
505
00:27:01,663 --> 00:27:05,167
VIKRAM: That night during the shoot,
a girl was invited up.
506
00:27:05,751 --> 00:27:09,046
Some of the men there had sex
with her, and it was filmed.
507
00:27:09,838 --> 00:27:12,132
Danny shared these videos on social media.
508
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,637
She was only 13 years old.
509
00:27:17,346 --> 00:27:19,389
SARA:
It made me feel disgusted.
510
00:27:19,389 --> 00:27:22,184
You know, even if you thought
she was older,
511
00:27:22,184 --> 00:27:27,147
in what way does it feel okay
to violate a woman like that?
512
00:27:27,773 --> 00:27:31,485
Let alone to come to find out
it was a younger girl.
513
00:27:32,152 --> 00:27:33,779
So it's just like, he got locked up.
514
00:27:33,779 --> 00:27:36,532
I'm hearing what he's
getting locked up from.
515
00:27:36,532 --> 00:27:39,159
I'm pregnant, nobody knows.
516
00:27:39,159 --> 00:27:40,744
I'm stressed.
517
00:27:41,662 --> 00:27:43,163
DANIEL:
She was 13.
518
00:27:43,163 --> 00:27:44,248
No, she was 13...
519
00:27:44,248 --> 00:27:46,333
Yeah, I think she was 13.
WOMAN: And you were?
520
00:27:46,333 --> 00:27:48,293
‐ And I was 17.
521
00:27:48,293 --> 00:27:51,421
I turned 18 that, that, that, um...
522
00:27:51,421 --> 00:27:55,509
Remember, I went to jail March 3rd
and lasted all the way to May.
523
00:27:55,509 --> 00:27:57,469
I turned 18 that‐‐ that year.
524
00:27:58,345 --> 00:28:01,139
VIKRAM:
Danny was actually 18 years old.
525
00:28:01,139 --> 00:28:04,560
He pled guilty on one charge
and signed a plea deal.
526
00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,604
He was out and free in a couple months
527
00:28:07,604 --> 00:28:11,149
and would be on probation
for the next two years.
528
00:28:16,738 --> 00:28:21,660
‐ We do not condone any violence
being done to women and children.
529
00:28:21,660 --> 00:28:24,162
We do not take part in that.
530
00:28:24,162 --> 00:28:25,831
We do not respect that.
531
00:28:25,831 --> 00:28:28,625
That's not what Scum Gang 69 is about.
532
00:28:28,625 --> 00:28:31,670
BODEGA: When he got locked up,
he went to Rikers Island.
533
00:28:31,670 --> 00:28:33,463
But we were still in communication.
534
00:28:34,006 --> 00:28:36,550
So when he got released from the jail,
535
00:28:36,550 --> 00:28:39,261
his hair was off now
'cause he had to cut his hair.
536
00:28:40,804 --> 00:28:42,097
And he started up again.
537
00:28:42,556 --> 00:28:45,601
♪ rapping ♪
538
00:28:50,105 --> 00:28:51,440
VIKRAM:
Back on the streets,
539
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,443
Danny could no longer post
sexually explicit content.
540
00:28:54,443 --> 00:28:57,362
His new videos began
to depict him as a front man
541
00:28:57,362 --> 00:29:00,282
of gangs of angry young men
in the streets of Bushwick.
542
00:29:00,282 --> 00:29:03,535
He rapidly released videos
with ZillaKami
543
00:29:03,535 --> 00:29:07,998
that were equal parts hard‐core and rap,
like "Yokai" and "Hellsing Station."
544
00:29:08,874 --> 00:29:12,794
His daughter Saraiyah was born
as the group was gaining traction online.
545
00:29:14,213 --> 00:29:17,299
But internally,
Scum Gang was starting to fall apart.
546
00:29:17,299 --> 00:29:21,887
Rumor is that P and Zilla had paid
$100,000 for Danny's bail
547
00:29:21,887 --> 00:29:23,722
and that he'd never repaid them.
548
00:29:23,722 --> 00:29:25,891
They started beefing on social media.
549
00:29:25,891 --> 00:29:31,063
‐ This nigga goes to jail
for a rape charge of a minor.
550
00:29:31,063 --> 00:29:34,733
‐ Zilla, you not Scum Gang.
None of y'all niggas Scum Gang!
551
00:29:34,733 --> 00:29:37,110
Nigga, I'm Scum Gang, nigga!
Niggas know me...
552
00:29:37,110 --> 00:29:39,863
SHADOW: From my knowledge,
Scum Gang is one person.
553
00:29:39,863 --> 00:29:41,323
Scum Gang is Danny.
554
00:29:41,323 --> 00:29:45,494
VIKRAM: That's funny that the gang
in his mind was actually just him.
555
00:29:45,494 --> 00:29:47,746
[laughs]
556
00:29:47,746 --> 00:29:49,373
That's pretty dope, man.
557
00:29:49,373 --> 00:29:52,000
'Cause it turned into like
he actually created a gang‐‐
558
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:53,418
That's what, you know...
‐ This is crazy.
559
00:29:53,418 --> 00:29:55,587
Like, you're dead
interviewing me right now,
560
00:29:55,587 --> 00:29:57,297
with like a thousand dollars'
worth of equipment
561
00:29:57,297 --> 00:29:59,925
and like about something
that really didn't even exist.
562
00:29:59,925 --> 00:30:01,593
Like it's just hilarious right now.
563
00:30:01,593 --> 00:30:03,720
But he would be laughing
if he saw this shit.
564
00:30:06,473 --> 00:30:09,852
VIKRAM: In late 2016,
ZillaKami and Righteous P
565
00:30:09,852 --> 00:30:13,230
deleted all of the music videos
they'd created with Danny.
566
00:30:14,481 --> 00:30:17,568
He was left with no record
of his achievements.
567
00:30:45,012 --> 00:30:47,472
WIZARD LEE: I always consider him
like an angel and a demon.
568
00:30:47,472 --> 00:30:50,893
The closest I can think of
that was 6ix9ine was maybe Axl Rose.
569
00:30:50,893 --> 00:30:53,187
He was just this big ball of energy
570
00:30:53,187 --> 00:30:55,189
trying to work at his own pace,
571
00:30:55,189 --> 00:30:58,817
which is ten times crazier
than, uh, anybody else.
572
00:30:59,735 --> 00:31:03,071
Most of the 69 tracks we've recorded,
mixed and mastered down here,
573
00:31:03,071 --> 00:31:05,991
I remember a point early on, uh...
574
00:31:05,991 --> 00:31:08,911
where I was like, "All right, Danny,
you know, I recorded it.
575
00:31:08,911 --> 00:31:13,165
I mixed it here, but don't you want
to get it to a professional to master?"
576
00:31:13,165 --> 00:31:16,293
And he's like,
"Why? I like the way you do it."
577
00:31:16,293 --> 00:31:20,088
So I was like, "All right,
I guess I'm mastering your stuff, too."
578
00:31:20,714 --> 00:31:23,383
It's almost like Danny had
confidence for the two of us.
579
00:31:25,302 --> 00:31:26,345
This is, uh, F*ck Them.
580
00:31:26,345 --> 00:31:31,058
This is that Slovakian company
that Danny took off with too.
581
00:31:31,058 --> 00:31:32,601
VIKRAM: Slovakia?
582
00:31:35,187 --> 00:31:37,356
LAWYER:
Did you go on any tours?
583
00:31:37,356 --> 00:31:39,233
DANIEL: Yeah.
584
00:31:39,233 --> 00:31:42,110
To Bratislava... Slovakia.
585
00:31:46,156 --> 00:31:50,035
VIKRAM: Turns out that even before 6ix9ine
became famous in America,
586
00:31:50,035 --> 00:31:54,206
he gained a fan base in the eastern
European country of Slovakia.
587
00:31:54,206 --> 00:31:57,417
And this is also the place
he performed his first concert.
588
00:32:25,696 --> 00:32:27,698
[rapping in Slovak]
589
00:32:27,698 --> 00:32:29,366
‐ ♪ Niggas talkin' shit... ♪
590
00:32:29,366 --> 00:32:31,368
♪ rapping continues ♪
591
00:32:33,495 --> 00:32:37,249
VIKRAM: In his YouTube analytics,
Danny noticed an uptick in eastern Europe
592
00:32:37,249 --> 00:32:39,501
and he traced it back
to the account of Dalyb.
593
00:32:42,546 --> 00:32:47,301
And that's how he met Yaksha,
a former professional Muay Thai fighter
594
00:32:47,301 --> 00:32:51,972
turned record label executive
that "New York" magazine once called
595
00:32:51,972 --> 00:32:54,308
"the Puff Daddy of Bratislava."
596
00:33:46,401 --> 00:33:48,403
[indistinct chatter]
597
00:33:51,114 --> 00:33:53,116
DANIEL: These people,
I feel like they're my family.
598
00:33:53,116 --> 00:33:55,244
I feel like Slovakia is home.
599
00:33:55,244 --> 00:33:57,829
Everyone knows F*ck Them, the label.
Everyone knows Yaksha.
600
00:33:57,829 --> 00:34:01,542
Everyone knows them, and I will carry
F*ck Them on my back to America
601
00:34:01,542 --> 00:34:02,918
so they can get noticed.
602
00:34:03,794 --> 00:34:07,798
VIKRAM: How do you feel like
you affected Tekashi's career?
603
00:34:23,814 --> 00:34:25,732
[crowd chanting "Tekashi!"]
604
00:35:16,074 --> 00:35:17,492
DANIEL:
That will break the Internet.
605
00:35:17,492 --> 00:35:20,078
That will go, it will fuckin'
shut down the Internet.
606
00:35:25,918 --> 00:35:27,920
♪
607
00:35:30,839 --> 00:35:33,926
VIKRAM: While the F*ck Them family
was helping Danny find traction in Europe,
608
00:35:33,926 --> 00:35:37,638
a new wave of rap artists
that looked and sounded like him
609
00:35:37,638 --> 00:35:40,516
were developing elsewhere on the Internet.
610
00:35:40,516 --> 00:35:43,685
SoundCloud combined a streaming
music service with social media.
611
00:35:43,685 --> 00:35:45,687
Highly visual and data driven,
612
00:35:45,687 --> 00:35:48,065
its founders originally
designed the platform
613
00:35:48,065 --> 00:35:51,235
for electronic music DJs to share music.
614
00:35:52,027 --> 00:35:53,529
What are these things on the couches?
615
00:35:53,529 --> 00:35:55,781
These are all just like... comments?
MAN: Oh, these are all
616
00:35:55,781 --> 00:35:58,492
real comments from the platforms.
617
00:35:58,492 --> 00:36:00,244
VIKRAM: What is it here?
618
00:36:00,244 --> 00:36:01,578
What's that?
619
00:36:02,663 --> 00:36:05,457
‐ "SSSlay Kween, SSSSlayyyyyyy."
620
00:36:05,457 --> 00:36:07,918
I think. [chuckles]
621
00:36:09,503 --> 00:36:12,214
VIKRAM:
What is SoundCloud rap?
622
00:36:12,214 --> 00:36:17,135
‐ I think like the origination of the term
is kind of a derogatory term
623
00:36:17,135 --> 00:36:18,804
in the beginning, right?
624
00:36:18,804 --> 00:36:22,182
Like it was,
"Oh, no, he's a SoundCloud rapper."
625
00:36:22,182 --> 00:36:23,851
It's not a real rapper, right?
626
00:36:23,851 --> 00:36:27,229
Like it's someone who's just, you know,
making music in the bedroom kind of thing.
627
00:36:27,229 --> 00:36:31,358
And then all of the sudden,
some of these artists became huge.
628
00:36:31,358 --> 00:36:33,986
And there was something similar
to their music.
629
00:36:33,986 --> 00:36:37,573
It was, it was kind of
a punk element to it,
630
00:36:37,573 --> 00:36:39,658
and a raw element
631
00:36:39,658 --> 00:36:43,912
and a kind of super‐nihilistic, you know,
632
00:36:43,912 --> 00:36:49,751
young people sort of disillusionized,
doing drugs, sex.
633
00:36:49,751 --> 00:36:52,754
You know, people with tattoos
all over their face.
634
00:36:52,754 --> 00:36:55,674
Like all kinds of weird stuff. Crime.
635
00:36:55,674 --> 00:36:58,719
There was a time when, literally, like,
636
00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:00,596
we had the most popular artist
on SoundCloud,
637
00:37:00,596 --> 00:37:04,808
and then next week he was dead,
you know, from an overdose or something.
638
00:37:04,808 --> 00:37:07,728
And then, you know, we have
the most popular artist on SoundCloud,
639
00:37:08,478 --> 00:37:10,814
and the next week he was killed.
640
00:37:10,814 --> 00:37:14,151
It felt like every week
there was some huge scandal
641
00:37:14,151 --> 00:37:17,404
around one of these artists.
642
00:37:21,700 --> 00:37:24,578
If you're doing A&R today,
you would look at data.
643
00:37:24,578 --> 00:37:27,414
Like before it used to be
a lot of, "I like this artist.
644
00:37:27,414 --> 00:37:30,375
I think she or he's good."
645
00:37:30,375 --> 00:37:32,586
Now it's like, "Show me your numbers."
646
00:37:32,586 --> 00:37:36,465
Because everything is transparent
in terms of like the popularity,
647
00:37:36,465 --> 00:37:38,133
the relevancy that you have.
648
00:37:40,135 --> 00:37:42,137
VIKRAM:
So, video killed the radio star
649
00:37:42,137 --> 00:37:45,807
and now social media is changing
the whole music industry.
650
00:37:45,807 --> 00:37:48,101
What kinds of things rise to the top?
651
00:37:48,101 --> 00:37:51,605
‐ I mean, social media is still
a super young phenomenon,
652
00:37:51,605 --> 00:37:55,943
and extreme characters
sort of get amplified.
653
00:38:00,072 --> 00:38:02,449
VIKRAM:
What business do you have
654
00:38:02,449 --> 00:38:05,160
talking about 6ix9ine?
655
00:38:06,203 --> 00:38:08,038
‐ Oh, man, it's...
656
00:38:08,038 --> 00:38:10,541
Well, the 6ix9ine story has been my life
657
00:38:10,541 --> 00:38:15,337
basically consistently since, you know,
the summer of 2018.
658
00:38:15,337 --> 00:38:16,505
My God.
659
00:38:16,505 --> 00:38:19,299
Uh, I am an associate editor
at Complex.
660
00:38:19,299 --> 00:38:22,469
And, you know, I was
a staff writer there in 2018.
661
00:38:22,469 --> 00:38:24,972
We were trying to figure out
how to cover this, you know,
662
00:38:24,972 --> 00:38:26,974
SoundCloud rap wave.
663
00:38:27,558 --> 00:38:30,102
And so many of the artists,
664
00:38:30,102 --> 00:38:33,772
uh, including Tekashi,
had, to put it mildly,
665
00:38:33,772 --> 00:38:35,983
objectionable things
in their personal lives.
666
00:38:37,568 --> 00:38:39,486
♪ rapping ♪
667
00:38:41,738 --> 00:38:45,075
VIKRAM: One of those SoundCloud rappers
was Trippie Redd,
668
00:38:45,075 --> 00:38:50,247
a 17‐year‐old kid from Ohio
with face tattoos, gang‐affiliation,
669
00:38:50,247 --> 00:38:52,541
and a record contract.
670
00:38:52,541 --> 00:38:56,962
He was signed to a label called
Strange Music, owned by Elliot Grainge.
671
00:38:56,962 --> 00:38:59,756
Elliot is the son of Sir Lucian Grainge.
672
00:39:00,382 --> 00:39:03,093
SHAWN SETARO:
Elliot Grainge is the son
673
00:39:03,093 --> 00:39:06,680
of arguably the most powerful man
in the music business.
674
00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:09,266
Yeah, I think it's safe to say
that Tekashi was aware
675
00:39:09,266 --> 00:39:11,310
who Elliot's father was.
676
00:39:11,310 --> 00:39:15,772
VIKRAM: So Danny cozied up to Trippie,
and they made "Poles1469."
677
00:39:18,775 --> 00:39:20,152
‐ ♪ Eh... ♪
678
00:39:20,152 --> 00:39:23,197
VIKRAM: Whether it was an accident
or part of a careful plan,
679
00:39:23,197 --> 00:39:27,993
Danny now had clout with both
Trippie's fan base and the music industry.
680
00:39:29,244 --> 00:39:31,997
♪ rapping ♪
681
00:39:31,997 --> 00:39:36,168
SHAWN: That was the thing
that got Tekashi on Elliot's radar.
682
00:39:36,168 --> 00:39:39,004
You know, who's this kid doing
the song with Trippie Redd?
683
00:39:39,004 --> 00:39:42,674
When Trippie plays a show
in New York, Elliot goes.
684
00:39:42,674 --> 00:39:45,344
He has pizza with Tekashi,
they hit it off.
685
00:39:45,344 --> 00:39:49,348
That leads eventually
to contract negotiations in LA
686
00:39:49,348 --> 00:39:51,975
and to Tekashi signing the deal.
687
00:39:51,975 --> 00:39:56,146
Tekashi liked the creative freedom
that Elliot offered.
688
00:39:56,146 --> 00:39:59,024
"You release what music
you wanna release
689
00:39:59,024 --> 00:40:00,359
"when you wanna release it.
690
00:40:00,359 --> 00:40:03,195
I don't tell you what to do."
691
00:40:03,195 --> 00:40:07,115
Uh, he prized that even above money.
692
00:40:08,242 --> 00:40:09,660
ADAM22:
It's been a long time coming,
693
00:40:09,660 --> 00:40:15,290
and you got a whole crazy wave
of buzz going on right now, and, uh...
694
00:40:15,290 --> 00:40:16,917
I'm not sure exactly how it happened,
695
00:40:16,917 --> 00:40:18,752
but you definitely have
a fuckin' defined aesthetic.
696
00:40:18,752 --> 00:40:21,296
Like there's something
very, very new going on with you.
697
00:40:21,296 --> 00:40:24,633
‐ I feel like it's time now to,
you know, show people who I am
698
00:40:24,633 --> 00:40:25,717
and...
699
00:40:25,717 --> 00:40:28,178
for them to really get
to know me and shit.
700
00:40:28,178 --> 00:40:30,013
ADAM22:
The 6ix9ine's first interview,
701
00:40:30,013 --> 00:40:32,391
I met him when he had
like 20,000 followers,
702
00:40:32,391 --> 00:40:34,476
I did the interview with him
and he had 60,000
703
00:40:34,476 --> 00:40:36,353
and I posted a photo with him
and then I went
704
00:40:36,353 --> 00:40:38,814
and looked the next day
and he had 70,000.
705
00:40:38,814 --> 00:40:42,401
And that was very odd to me.
I hadn't even put the interview out yet.
706
00:40:42,401 --> 00:40:45,195
But just from a photo,
just from people looking at him,
707
00:40:46,029 --> 00:40:48,031
he got 10,000 followers in a day.
708
00:40:48,031 --> 00:40:50,075
I just remember that really
standing out to me.
709
00:40:50,075 --> 00:40:52,703
I was like, "People are really
gravitating towards this dude
710
00:40:52,703 --> 00:40:53,871
one way or another."
711
00:40:53,871 --> 00:40:56,164
When did this 6ix9ine thing
become a thing, though?
712
00:40:56,164 --> 00:40:59,168
'Cause you have it tattooed
on your body probably, what,
like a couple dozen times?
713
00:40:59,168 --> 00:41:01,253
‐ Nah, it's over like 200 times.
714
00:41:01,253 --> 00:41:03,338
‐ Two hundred, Jesus.
‐ Over, over, over 200.
715
00:41:03,338 --> 00:41:04,756
‐ Oh, my God, okay.
716
00:41:04,756 --> 00:41:06,800
The most noticeable one's
the one on your face.
717
00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:07,759
DANIEL: Yeah.
ADAM22: Easily.
718
00:41:07,759 --> 00:41:08,844
And that's new, right?
719
00:41:08,844 --> 00:41:10,888
DANIEL: Yeah, it's new.
ADAM22: It's still peeling a little bit.
720
00:41:10,888 --> 00:41:12,890
DANIEL: Yeah, it's peeling.
ADAM22: That's brand‐new.
721
00:41:12,890 --> 00:41:16,560
And then when he got
a fucking face tattoo, you know,
722
00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:20,230
like I feel like the face tattoo
for a lot of these artists is like,
723
00:41:20,230 --> 00:41:23,233
"Either it's gonna happen
or I'm gonna die trying,"
724
00:41:23,233 --> 00:41:28,197
because like what else can you really do
with a giant 69 tattooed on your face?
725
00:41:28,197 --> 00:41:31,700
SARA: He was getting these tattoos
behind my back.
726
00:41:31,700 --> 00:41:35,078
I was finding out about the tattoos
the same way everybody else was.
727
00:41:35,078 --> 00:41:36,747
Over Instagram.
728
00:41:37,289 --> 00:41:40,459
VIKRAM:
In July of 2017, Danny posted photos
729
00:41:40,459 --> 00:41:43,587
of his new forehead tattoo on Instagram.
730
00:41:43,587 --> 00:41:47,591
His new look embodied
the SoundCloud aesthetic so well
731
00:41:47,591 --> 00:41:49,801
that a new meme was born.
732
00:41:50,385 --> 00:41:53,347
The Internet didn't care
that Tekashi 6ix9ine
733
00:41:53,347 --> 00:41:55,390
wasn't even on SoundCloud.
734
00:41:55,390 --> 00:41:57,726
ADAM22: I mean, there's something
kind of nice about becoming a meme,
735
00:41:57,726 --> 00:41:59,770
where it's like there's so many people
talking shit about it
736
00:41:59,770 --> 00:42:02,397
and they don't really know anything
about you and you're just kind of like,
737
00:42:02,397 --> 00:42:05,776
all right, I guess this is
what it's like to be popular
or famous or something,
738
00:42:05,776 --> 00:42:07,110
is that you're a meme now.
739
00:42:07,110 --> 00:42:09,613
‐ I feel like if nobody talk about you,
you're just boring.
740
00:42:09,613 --> 00:42:11,615
You know what I mean?
So, like...
741
00:42:11,615 --> 00:42:15,244
I don't feel no type of way about
the negative feedback that I get.
742
00:42:15,244 --> 00:42:18,622
Like, if you're gonna waste your time
and really be talking about me,
743
00:42:18,622 --> 00:42:19,873
you're actually making me litter.
744
00:42:20,874 --> 00:42:23,168
VIKRAM:
One meme quickly turned into many.
745
00:42:23,168 --> 00:42:26,588
His nameless image went viral
all over the Internet.
746
00:42:26,588 --> 00:42:30,342
Including this picture
taken by his collaborator
747
00:42:30,342 --> 00:42:32,427
and former friend, Philly Mula.
748
00:42:32,427 --> 00:42:35,097
PHILLY MULA: After that,
I remember everything shot up.
749
00:42:35,097 --> 00:42:38,016
Fuckin' you could say "Poles1469,"
what's that, a couple million,
750
00:42:38,016 --> 00:42:39,852
five, six million,
you know what I'm sayin'?
751
00:42:39,852 --> 00:42:41,979
That gave them both shine,
though, you know?
752
00:42:42,563 --> 00:42:44,648
And then boom, next thing you know
753
00:42:44,648 --> 00:42:48,485
he's fucking top don in New York,
you know what I'm saying?
754
00:42:48,485 --> 00:42:49,778
That's crazy.
755
00:42:49,778 --> 00:42:52,114
VIKRAM: It sounds like you got
a little skepticism
756
00:42:52,114 --> 00:42:56,076
or cynicism around, like,
what it means to be famous
757
00:42:56,076 --> 00:42:57,619
and how to make it.
758
00:42:57,619 --> 00:42:59,746
PHILLY:
Basically, what matters the most
759
00:42:59,746 --> 00:43:03,375
is gonna be your image,
you know what I'm sayin'?
760
00:43:03,375 --> 00:43:06,170
With him, what made him
stood out like a sore thumb
761
00:43:06,170 --> 00:43:08,297
was his hair and the tattoos.
762
00:43:08,297 --> 00:43:11,300
But that's, you see, that's probably
what it will take me to get famous.
763
00:43:11,300 --> 00:43:14,011
Matter of fact, I'm gonna get
a fucking packet of sazón
764
00:43:14,011 --> 00:43:15,762
tattooed on my face after this interview.
765
00:43:15,762 --> 00:43:19,099
If I don't make it on World Star, I don't
give a fuck, I'm gonna kill myself.
766
00:43:19,099 --> 00:43:21,310
VIKRAM: You just get,
just get hot sauces on your face?
767
00:43:21,310 --> 00:43:22,686
PHILLY:
Fuckin' hell, yeah.
768
00:43:22,686 --> 00:43:25,355
Do stupid shit.
That's what it's gonna take now.
769
00:43:31,069 --> 00:43:33,822
SHAWN:
Right as "Poles1469,"
770
00:43:33,822 --> 00:43:37,534
his collaboration with Trippie Redd,
starts to blow up,
771
00:43:37,534 --> 00:43:42,748
Zilla uses this 2015 incident
against Tekashi.
772
00:43:42,748 --> 00:43:47,085
And I should say it's really horrible
to use this girl as a pawn
773
00:43:47,085 --> 00:43:49,379
in a rap beef.
774
00:43:49,379 --> 00:43:50,839
But that's what they did.
775
00:43:51,298 --> 00:43:53,634
Right after this happens,
776
00:43:53,634 --> 00:43:56,929
Trippie decides to distance himself
from 6ix9ine.
777
00:43:58,388 --> 00:43:59,515
‐ I'm sorry, brozzie.
778
00:43:59,515 --> 00:44:02,392
1400 don't promote pedophiles.
779
00:44:02,392 --> 00:44:06,188
We don't, we don't fuck
with, uh, weird niggas.
780
00:44:06,939 --> 00:44:09,650
Niggas, niggas is on
some whole different shit now.
781
00:44:10,442 --> 00:44:13,654
VIKRAM: After being labeled a pedophile
and losing all his allies...
782
00:44:13,654 --> 00:44:14,947
‐ ...it was an accident.
783
00:44:14,947 --> 00:44:16,865
VIKRAM:
Danny needed to change the narrative.
784
00:44:17,366 --> 00:44:20,118
So he doubled down
on his gangster persona.
785
00:44:21,578 --> 00:44:23,497
BILLY ADO:
Seeing how everything played out
786
00:44:23,497 --> 00:44:25,916
and watching the stuff with Trippie Redd
787
00:44:25,916 --> 00:44:28,377
and the case with the girl from the back
and then learning all this stuff,
788
00:44:28,377 --> 00:44:29,586
I'm looking at it like...
789
00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:34,424
damn, he needed fuckin' help.
790
00:44:34,424 --> 00:44:35,843
He needed help bad.
791
00:44:36,510 --> 00:44:39,930
His name, his reputation, his career
was just going down the drain.
792
00:44:40,973 --> 00:44:42,432
Trippie Redd's Blood.
793
00:44:42,432 --> 00:44:44,101
He's real.
794
00:44:44,685 --> 00:44:47,563
Here come Seqo with some
real fuckin' bunch of Bloods
795
00:44:47,563 --> 00:44:50,148
and these guys are really like that
and you're like, "Oh, shit.
796
00:44:50,148 --> 00:44:51,859
This might be it right here."
797
00:44:52,651 --> 00:44:54,695
SEQO BILLY:
I got a call and my manager's like,
798
00:44:54,695 --> 00:44:56,280
"Yo, you wanna come meet this kid?"
799
00:44:56,280 --> 00:44:59,366
I pull up, he played his stuff.
I liked the videos.
800
00:44:59,366 --> 00:45:02,703
And that's how he was
presented to us, through videos.
801
00:45:02,703 --> 00:45:05,414
He told us hisself his music was trash.
802
00:45:05,414 --> 00:45:07,541
"My music is trash, my video fire."
803
00:45:08,625 --> 00:45:10,961
VIKRAM: [laughing] What did you
think about when you heard that?
804
00:45:10,961 --> 00:45:12,337
‐ I thought it was genius.
805
00:45:12,337 --> 00:45:16,425
‐ His music before was like
some rock‐and‐roll stuff.
806
00:45:16,425 --> 00:45:17,676
‐ Yeah.
‐ And then when he,
807
00:45:17,676 --> 00:45:19,678
you know, came around us, I guess,
808
00:45:19,678 --> 00:45:22,347
you know, the gangster stuff
started coming out.
809
00:45:22,347 --> 00:45:25,809
VIKRAM: Why do you, why do you think
he was drawn to that at all? Like...
810
00:45:25,809 --> 00:45:29,646
‐ 'Cause he probably felt that's the way
that people wanted to see.
811
00:45:29,646 --> 00:45:31,398
SEQO:
Everything is just for the entertainment.
812
00:45:31,398 --> 00:45:34,067
So you see that,
the image is for the entertainment.
813
00:45:34,067 --> 00:45:35,777
VIKRAM: Yeah.
‐ It's to have you going,
814
00:45:35,777 --> 00:45:38,113
"Oh, ah," or "wow."
815
00:45:38,113 --> 00:45:39,531
It's for the entertainment.
816
00:45:40,240 --> 00:45:42,075
DANIEL:
Before I blew up, right?
817
00:45:42,826 --> 00:45:44,161
For a year and a half.
818
00:45:44,161 --> 00:45:46,580
I would pray every day while walking...
819
00:45:46,580 --> 00:45:49,124
and I would be like,
"God, please change my life.
820
00:45:49,124 --> 00:45:50,959
"Please change my life.
821
00:45:50,959 --> 00:45:53,545
"I got a baby, I can't even buy Pampers.
822
00:45:53,545 --> 00:45:55,756
"Please change my life.
Please change my life.
823
00:45:55,756 --> 00:45:57,216
Please change my life."
824
00:45:59,176 --> 00:46:02,262
Then "Gummo" came and life changed.
825
00:46:04,723 --> 00:46:06,475
LAWYER:
Mr. Hernandez, did there come a time
826
00:46:06,475 --> 00:46:08,769
when the type of music
that you recorded changed?
827
00:46:08,769 --> 00:46:09,853
DANIEL:
Yes.
828
00:46:09,853 --> 00:46:11,480
LAWYER:
What was the name of that song?
829
00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:13,982
DANIEL:
"Gummo." G‐U‐M‐M‐O.
830
00:46:13,982 --> 00:46:15,776
LAWYER:
What is "Gummo" about?
831
00:46:16,568 --> 00:46:18,695
DANIEL:
It was actually a dis song.
832
00:46:18,695 --> 00:46:20,906
LAWYER:
And who was the dis song aimed at?
833
00:46:20,906 --> 00:46:22,074
DANIEL:
Trippie Redd.
834
00:46:31,333 --> 00:46:33,293
[child speaking indistinctly]
835
00:46:33,293 --> 00:46:34,503
[gun cocks, fires]
836
00:46:34,503 --> 00:46:37,673
♪ Go on, gang ♪
837
00:46:38,549 --> 00:46:40,801
SHADOW:
The first thing I hear was my voice.
838
00:46:40,801 --> 00:46:42,678
This
[singing] go on, gang.
839
00:46:42,678 --> 00:46:45,848
And I just see mad red flags,
and I'm like, hold on.
840
00:46:45,848 --> 00:46:48,684
What the fuck is going on?
841
00:46:49,184 --> 00:46:51,103
‐ ♪ Pop these niggas
like a wheelie, nigga ♪
842
00:46:51,103 --> 00:46:52,604
♪ You a silly nigga... ♪
843
00:46:52,604 --> 00:46:54,982
ADAM: I see this rapper
with this crazy hair
844
00:46:54,982 --> 00:46:57,442
and I'd seen him before but I'd never
heard him speak or anything
845
00:46:57,442 --> 00:46:59,570
and I actually took a second look
and I was like,
846
00:46:59,570 --> 00:47:01,905
"That's Danny from the bodega."
847
00:47:03,031 --> 00:47:05,367
SHADOW:
I'm in cars, I'm in the Ubers.
848
00:47:05,367 --> 00:47:07,953
And the Uber driver's playing the record
and I'm hearing my voice
849
00:47:07,953 --> 00:47:09,329
and I'm like, "What the fuck?"
850
00:47:09,329 --> 00:47:12,875
I'm going to my girlfriend's house,
and she's playing the record.
851
00:47:12,875 --> 00:47:16,044
And I'm like, "Yo, how does
everyone know about this?"
852
00:47:16,044 --> 00:47:18,589
[men shouting hysterically]
853
00:47:20,215 --> 00:47:21,508
WIZARD:
It was popular,
854
00:47:21,508 --> 00:47:23,969
but then Funk Flex was like,
"I'm gonna play this."
855
00:47:23,969 --> 00:47:26,930
Like, "I'm gonna play a New York rapper
doing a New York song."
856
00:47:26,930 --> 00:47:29,349
["Gummo" playing on radio]
857
00:47:29,349 --> 00:47:31,018
‐ You're on the radio with this one.
858
00:47:31,018 --> 00:47:33,061
ADAM22: To me that was
a really defining moment,
859
00:47:33,061 --> 00:47:36,440
and that, I think, took "Gummo"
to a whole other level.
860
00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:38,400
DANIEL:
Locust Street, Brooklyn!
861
00:47:38,400 --> 00:47:39,401
‐ Hey!
‐ Waaaah!
862
00:47:39,401 --> 00:47:41,737
SARA: In the video,
it looked like he wanted to cry
863
00:47:41,737 --> 00:47:46,575
and his face got so red and I saw
that he was like genuinely happy.
864
00:47:46,575 --> 00:47:49,411
‐ ♪ Niggas iffy, uh,
Blicky got the stiffy, uh ♪
865
00:47:50,287 --> 00:47:53,832
‐ There are hit records
that are moving now with
15, 20 million, 25 million views.
866
00:47:54,875 --> 00:47:57,753
Like, that shit hit
50 million views in weeks.
867
00:47:58,754 --> 00:48:03,050
I just couldn't understand
how big he was getting by the day.
868
00:48:03,050 --> 00:48:04,468
It was just immense.
869
00:48:04,468 --> 00:48:07,012
DANIEL:
"Gummo" became an instant sensation.
870
00:48:07,012 --> 00:48:08,180
It went viral.
871
00:48:08,180 --> 00:48:09,890
People shared it.
872
00:48:09,890 --> 00:48:13,227
So, it was instant success, I would say.
873
00:48:14,937 --> 00:48:17,189
VIKRAM:
How do you explain his fame?
874
00:48:17,898 --> 00:48:20,108
ADAM22: Master marketer
combined with somebody
875
00:48:20,108 --> 00:48:22,986
who's willing to just weave
all of these hip‐hop tropes
876
00:48:22,986 --> 00:48:25,072
into their shit, like the gangbanging hit.
877
00:48:25,072 --> 00:48:28,283
We all know it works on young kids,
that they fall for it,
878
00:48:28,283 --> 00:48:29,660
that they like it.
879
00:48:29,660 --> 00:48:32,412
They, that helps them to believe
that they're watching something real.
880
00:48:32,412 --> 00:48:36,750
♪ electronic soundtrack playing ♪
881
00:48:36,750 --> 00:48:38,418
BILLY:
Ten, 20 fucking Bloods out here.
882
00:48:38,418 --> 00:48:40,337
Oh, shit, some of these dudes
are fuckin' real.
883
00:48:40,337 --> 00:48:42,256
Some of these... oh, shit.
That's what's‐his‐name.
884
00:48:42,256 --> 00:48:44,842
Some people really know some of these guys
in Brooklyn, like oh, shit.
885
00:48:44,842 --> 00:48:46,760
Automatically,
everybody's watching it now.
886
00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:48,595
Everybody's thinking,
"Is he really a Blood?"
887
00:48:50,264 --> 00:48:51,682
DJ PVNCH:
There's guns in "Gummo"
888
00:48:51,682 --> 00:48:53,934
and there's bags of weed in "Gummo."
889
00:48:53,934 --> 00:48:55,978
And no one brings that up.
890
00:48:55,978 --> 00:48:58,021
"Gummo" is about the red bandanna.
891
00:48:58,730 --> 00:49:01,441
The bandanna was the biggest prop
he could ever use.
892
00:49:01,942 --> 00:49:03,986
ADAM22: This is my favorite
mental image of 6ix9ine.
893
00:49:03,986 --> 00:49:09,241
Showing up in Brooklyn with 50
red bandannas that he bought at the store
894
00:49:09,241 --> 00:49:11,910
and handing them out to actual Bloods.
895
00:49:12,411 --> 00:49:17,416
6ix9ine was so committed to presenting
a version of gangbanging
896
00:49:17,416 --> 00:49:20,627
that didn't necessarily really exist
in New York,
897
00:49:20,627 --> 00:49:22,296
that he showed up and told them like,
898
00:49:22,296 --> 00:49:24,298
"No, this is how
I want you guys to dress."
899
00:49:25,090 --> 00:49:27,467
SEQO: There were some people
out there with their bandannas.
900
00:49:27,467 --> 00:49:29,678
He just bought them new ones,
know what I'm sayin'?
901
00:49:29,678 --> 00:49:33,265
So he went out, just bought
some liquor and some bandannas.
902
00:49:33,265 --> 00:49:35,267
He wanted to feel like
he was doing something.
903
00:49:35,267 --> 00:49:38,478
That's how he thought he would be
part of the family, I guess.
904
00:49:39,146 --> 00:49:40,397
So that's what he did.
905
00:49:43,275 --> 00:49:45,527
VIKRAM: What does
the red bandanna mean?
906
00:49:45,527 --> 00:49:46,904
‐ A red bandanna is just...
907
00:49:46,904 --> 00:49:49,448
a way of just showing
that you are part of the Bloods.
908
00:49:54,411 --> 00:49:56,330
LAWYER:
Can you see Government Exhibit 202?
909
00:49:56,330 --> 00:49:57,706
DANIEL: Yes.
LAWYER: What is that?
910
00:49:57,706 --> 00:49:59,208
DANIEL:
370 Madison.
911
00:49:59,208 --> 00:50:02,544
LAWYER: You filmed a music video
in front of 370 Madison?
912
00:50:02,544 --> 00:50:04,546
DANIEL:
Yes, sir. "Gummo."
913
00:50:07,341 --> 00:50:11,637
VIKRAM: 370 Madison is a family home,
owned by Chanelle's mother
914
00:50:11,637 --> 00:50:12,971
and Seqo's grandmother,
915
00:50:12,971 --> 00:50:15,933
a retired correctional officer
named Brenda.
916
00:50:15,933 --> 00:50:17,392
CHANELLE:
This is the "Gummo" house.
917
00:50:17,976 --> 00:50:20,646
People used to come by
and take pictures.
918
00:50:20,646 --> 00:50:23,148
So many people.
We didn't know who was who.
919
00:50:23,148 --> 00:50:25,025
VIKRAM: What kind of people?
Like fans of...?
920
00:50:25,025 --> 00:50:26,902
CHANELLE:
I guess so. We don't know them.
921
00:50:26,902 --> 00:50:28,111
All types of people.
922
00:50:28,111 --> 00:50:30,697
And we ain't know it was
gonna get that, that, that big.
923
00:50:31,573 --> 00:50:33,659
VIKRAM: Was it fun when he did
the video that day?
924
00:50:33,659 --> 00:50:35,452
‐ No, no, I was in my kitchen cooking.
925
00:50:35,452 --> 00:50:37,996
I walked out and they put
that thing on my head and...
926
00:50:37,996 --> 00:50:39,414
You don't see my expression,
927
00:50:39,414 --> 00:50:41,291
the way I looked when I came out here?
928
00:50:41,291 --> 00:50:44,169
I didn't know these people
was on my step at the time.
929
00:50:44,169 --> 00:50:45,963
VIKRAM:
How do you really feel, though?
930
00:50:45,963 --> 00:50:48,257
‐ I don't like him no more.
I don't like him.
931
00:50:48,257 --> 00:50:50,217
VIKRAM: Did you like him
when you first met him?
932
00:50:50,217 --> 00:50:53,303
‐ When I met him, he was Kool & the Gang
until he jumped the ship.
933
00:50:53,303 --> 00:50:55,264
He went with them bad boys.
934
00:50:55,264 --> 00:50:57,850
He was good when he was here.
935
00:50:58,350 --> 00:51:01,854
But when he jumped the ship,
I had no more to say to him.
936
00:51:01,854 --> 00:51:04,189
I was done, that was it.
937
00:51:04,189 --> 00:51:05,732
Okay.
938
00:51:08,569 --> 00:51:11,822
VIKRAM: It sounds like he was
looking to you guys like a family.
939
00:51:11,822 --> 00:51:14,116
Like...
CHANELLE: Yeah. He was.
940
00:51:14,116 --> 00:51:17,744
Was like, you know, the sort of stuff
that we was doing, he ain't never...
941
00:51:17,744 --> 00:51:19,663
like I guess Thanksgiving to him.
942
00:51:19,663 --> 00:51:22,040
He's like, "What is this?
This is what y'all do?"
943
00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:24,084
I'm like, "Yeah."
944
00:51:24,084 --> 00:51:26,587
So, it was new stuff to him.
945
00:51:26,587 --> 00:51:28,380
VIKRAM:
Did you feel like you ever
946
00:51:28,380 --> 00:51:30,132
really got to know
who the real Danny was, or...
947
00:51:30,132 --> 00:51:32,551
‐ The real Danny is a kid.
948
00:51:33,177 --> 00:51:34,803
That was the real Danny.
949
00:51:35,512 --> 00:51:37,264
He liked to play fight.
950
00:51:37,264 --> 00:51:39,433
You know, he think he could wrassle.
951
00:51:39,433 --> 00:51:43,604
And then he turned to, I guess, Tekashi,
952
00:51:43,604 --> 00:51:46,899
the Mexican Blood Rainbow‐Haired Gangster.
953
00:51:46,899 --> 00:51:49,109
VIKRAM:
Danny experienced a side of family life
954
00:51:49,109 --> 00:51:51,153
that he didn't have on Locust Street.
955
00:51:51,153 --> 00:51:54,364
He started hanging around more
and crashing at their house.
956
00:51:55,032 --> 00:51:56,283
How are you guys related?
957
00:51:56,283 --> 00:51:58,952
‐ That's my nephew.
‐ Yeah, that's my aunt.
958
00:51:58,952 --> 00:52:00,746
VIKRAM: Okay.
959
00:52:00,746 --> 00:52:02,789
You guys are Treyway.
960
00:52:03,415 --> 00:52:04,708
‐ Yep.
VIKRAM: Okay.
961
00:52:04,708 --> 00:52:06,502
‐ Basically, yeah, we are Treyway.
962
00:52:07,377 --> 00:52:10,339
VIKRAM: So I need to ask you, because
I think it's shocking for a lot of people.
963
00:52:10,339 --> 00:52:13,300
You see this Mexican kid,
he's shouting the "N" word,
964
00:52:13,300 --> 00:52:15,511
and everyone behind him is black.
965
00:52:16,011 --> 00:52:17,387
How do you explain that?
966
00:52:17,846 --> 00:52:21,141
[Chanelle laughs]
967
00:52:21,141 --> 00:52:23,852
‐ I just wanted to talk
about the beginning of Treyway.
968
00:52:23,852 --> 00:52:27,356
I don't wanna go into all the other stuff,
like she can answer all the rest of that.
969
00:52:27,356 --> 00:52:29,358
VIKRAM: Okay.
‐ I don't wanna answer
all that other stuff.
970
00:52:38,450 --> 00:52:41,453
BILLY: This is the spot, this is the hood.
This is Bedford‐Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
971
00:52:41,995 --> 00:52:44,248
It's the spot where we
used to come sometime.
972
00:52:44,248 --> 00:52:46,583
Not necessarily on no gang shit.
973
00:52:46,583 --> 00:52:50,629
It's just a spot where
some of our close bros link up.
974
00:52:52,422 --> 00:52:56,635
At this point in my life, I had just got
out of prison, doing like over ten years.
975
00:52:56,635 --> 00:52:58,554
So I'm already lost.
976
00:52:58,554 --> 00:53:01,306
It took me a while even to learn
how to use an iPhone, you know,
977
00:53:01,306 --> 00:53:03,559
and get familiar with these type of stuff,
978
00:53:03,559 --> 00:53:05,769
'cause the only thing I remember
was the little flip phones
979
00:53:05,769 --> 00:53:08,355
and the Nextel stuff
and the fucking Nokia thing
980
00:53:08,355 --> 00:53:10,691
with the light‐up phones,
that's all I remember.
981
00:53:10,691 --> 00:53:12,860
I had no social media, you know?
Nothing.
982
00:53:12,860 --> 00:53:14,278
No Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat.
983
00:53:14,278 --> 00:53:16,113
I didn't even know
what that shit was like that.
984
00:53:16,113 --> 00:53:17,573
And they kept telling me like,
985
00:53:17,573 --> 00:53:19,116
"Go make an Instagram.
We're gonna get you in."
986
00:53:19,116 --> 00:53:20,367
6ix9ine kept saying,
"Make an Instagram,
987
00:53:20,367 --> 00:53:21,910
make an Instagram,
we're gonna get you lit."
988
00:53:21,910 --> 00:53:24,580
And they're like, "Yo, he be getting
mad views and stuff on Instagram."
989
00:53:24,580 --> 00:53:27,165
I'm like, "What the fuck is Instagram?"
Like, what the fuck is that?
990
00:53:27,666 --> 00:53:30,961
The amount of views and, like, likes
we were getting, shit, I was like,
991
00:53:30,961 --> 00:53:33,046
"Oh, shit, like, we have people
fuckin' watching us for real?
992
00:53:33,046 --> 00:53:34,715
This shit is crazy,"
know what I mean?
993
00:53:34,715 --> 00:53:36,341
It was new to me.
994
00:53:36,341 --> 00:53:39,094
[muffled rapping, crowd cheering]
995
00:53:43,640 --> 00:53:45,225
VIKRAM:
How did things change?
996
00:53:45,225 --> 00:53:47,477
SARA: Just all the people
that he was hanging out with,
997
00:53:47,477 --> 00:53:49,188
the things he was doing,
998
00:53:49,188 --> 00:53:52,816
like he was a person that would
never go out to the club.
999
00:53:52,816 --> 00:53:55,402
Just hanging out
or being around certain people
1000
00:53:55,402 --> 00:53:57,821
and certain things that he would
have never done before
1001
00:53:57,821 --> 00:53:59,448
and he was doing it.
1002
00:54:00,657 --> 00:54:03,702
SHADOW: I do feel like he created
a gap between us.
1003
00:54:03,702 --> 00:54:07,206
His crew now abides by different rules.
1004
00:54:07,206 --> 00:54:09,833
Not dealing with the hip‐hop collective.
1005
00:54:09,833 --> 00:54:13,587
I couldn't just hop into his world
and try to tell him how to move.
1006
00:54:13,587 --> 00:54:16,548
So, I, I just stayed away.
Let him do his thing.
1007
00:54:16,548 --> 00:54:20,385
He knew where to find me, and when
he needed to reach out, he called me.
1008
00:54:22,387 --> 00:54:23,972
VIKRAM:
So you met Tekashi
1009
00:54:23,972 --> 00:54:26,975
at what stage in his development
as an artist?
1010
00:54:26,975 --> 00:54:29,186
‐ When I met him
for like the real, real run,
1011
00:54:29,186 --> 00:54:30,604
was just a couple days after "Gummo."
1012
00:54:30,604 --> 00:54:34,066
‐ "Gummo's" at number seven
in the world right now, at the top...
1013
00:54:34,066 --> 00:54:36,985
‐ I'm saying the whole world.
It's kind of like the whole globe.
1014
00:54:36,985 --> 00:54:38,529
[Daniel rapping on computer]
1015
00:54:45,035 --> 00:54:47,287
[indistinct chatter]
1016
00:54:47,996 --> 00:54:49,164
‐ Just name that, um...
1017
00:54:49,164 --> 00:54:51,250
just name it "Coolo" for now.
1018
00:54:51,250 --> 00:54:54,127
‐ All right, so this is good enough
for shooting a video.
1019
00:54:54,127 --> 00:54:56,129
The sessions got way crazier.
1020
00:54:56,129 --> 00:54:58,715
Way more people
who we didn't know would come in,
1021
00:54:58,715 --> 00:55:02,010
and, you know, I think that was
the start of when things
1022
00:55:02,010 --> 00:55:03,887
got a little out of hand. [chuckles]
1023
00:55:03,887 --> 00:55:07,599
So I had to make sure that I didn't
get kicked out of the building.
1024
00:55:07,599 --> 00:55:10,060
VIKRAM: When you met him
a few days after "Gummo,"
1025
00:55:10,060 --> 00:55:11,520
he was already in the Bloods?
1026
00:55:11,520 --> 00:55:13,397
‐ To my knowledge, the process.
1027
00:55:13,397 --> 00:55:15,899
VIKRAM: He was in the process, yeah.
‐ Yeah.
1028
00:55:15,899 --> 00:55:18,610
‐ What's going on, Pvnch?
Big gang members in here.
1029
00:55:18,610 --> 00:55:19,862
‐ It's a lot of gang shit...
1030
00:55:19,862 --> 00:55:22,739
DJ PVNCH: In "Gummo," he doesn't
do anything, he's just around it.
1031
00:55:22,739 --> 00:55:25,284
You can watch the videos after that,
he starts throwing up stuff.
1032
00:55:25,284 --> 00:55:28,203
VIKRAM: Yeah.
‐ Yeah, you can see it.
1033
00:55:28,203 --> 00:55:31,456
‐ What's up, big star? 'Sup?
Who say you're not good?
1034
00:55:31,456 --> 00:55:33,333
‐ I don't know.
‐ Who say he not good?
1035
00:55:33,333 --> 00:55:35,961
LAWYER: Approximately
when did you become a member?
1036
00:55:35,961 --> 00:55:39,006
DANIEL:
I would say November of 2017.
1037
00:55:39,673 --> 00:55:44,428
After we shot "Gummo,"
I knew the formula was to repeat it.
1038
00:55:44,428 --> 00:55:45,470
LAWYER:
To repeat what?
1039
00:55:45,470 --> 00:55:48,182
DANIEL:
To repeat the gang image.
1040
00:55:48,182 --> 00:55:51,226
It was just a formula,
a blueprint that I found that worked.
1041
00:55:54,146 --> 00:55:57,024
BILLY: We shot one of the viral videos,
"Kooda," out here.
1042
00:55:57,024 --> 00:55:59,151
The concept of that video was just,
1043
00:55:59,151 --> 00:56:01,987
we freestyle, we made different shit,
you know?
1044
00:56:01,987 --> 00:56:03,822
‐ There's about to be a movie
out here tonight, you heard?
1045
00:56:03,822 --> 00:56:06,283
BILLY: We were shooting right here first,
and then we was like, you know what?
1046
00:56:06,283 --> 00:56:08,285
We should fucking go in
the train station, train right here.
1047
00:56:08,285 --> 00:56:09,995
Fuck it. Just go in the train,
jump on the tracks.
1048
00:56:09,995 --> 00:56:13,123
Just wild out, whatever.
We'll make the video lit.
1049
00:56:13,123 --> 00:56:14,666
♪ rapping ♪
1050
00:56:14,666 --> 00:56:17,211
SHAWN:
Against basically everyone's advice,
1051
00:56:17,211 --> 00:56:21,048
6ix9ine decides to just keep releasing
songs at a rapid clip.
1052
00:56:21,048 --> 00:56:23,592
He'll make a song,
shoot a video, release it.
1053
00:56:23,592 --> 00:56:26,720
DJ PVNCH:
I thought he was crazy for releasing
"Kooda" at the speed he was doing.
1054
00:56:26,720 --> 00:56:28,931
Like "Gummo" was literally doing millions
and he was like,
1055
00:56:28,931 --> 00:56:30,599
"Yeah, I'm putting this out in two weeks."
1056
00:56:30,599 --> 00:56:33,185
And I was just like... what the fuck
is wrong with this kid?
1057
00:56:33,852 --> 00:56:36,021
That is one thing
I have to give him credit for.
1058
00:56:36,021 --> 00:56:39,191
The speed in which
he released records, that's all him.
1059
00:56:41,985 --> 00:56:43,403
SHAWN:
"Gummo" comes out in October.
1060
00:56:44,071 --> 00:56:45,614
"Kooda" drops that December.
1061
00:56:45,614 --> 00:56:48,450
[chatting indistinctly]
1062
00:56:48,450 --> 00:56:51,161
SHAWN:
"Keke" comes out in January.
1063
00:56:52,829 --> 00:56:53,830
‐ Hey!
1064
00:56:54,373 --> 00:56:55,832
SHAWN:
"Billy" comes out in March.
1065
00:56:55,832 --> 00:56:59,378
All of this stuff is happening
so, so rapidly.
1066
00:56:59,378 --> 00:57:02,339
He's literally releasing the songs
and making them.
1067
00:57:02,339 --> 00:57:05,801
♪ rapping ♪
1068
00:57:05,801 --> 00:57:08,971
BILLY: Me coming from prison every day,
just shooting the videos,
1069
00:57:08,971 --> 00:57:09,930
going on tour.
1070
00:57:09,930 --> 00:57:11,765
Everything was just, it was lit.
1071
00:57:11,765 --> 00:57:14,226
It was just fun to me.
It was just fun doing it.
1072
00:57:14,226 --> 00:57:15,686
And we doin' it with our bros.
1073
00:57:15,686 --> 00:57:18,313
♪
1074
00:57:29,700 --> 00:57:31,952
[siren chirping]
1075
00:57:43,547 --> 00:57:45,424
‐ We're here, bro.
We're live with it‐‐
1076
00:57:45,424 --> 00:57:48,802
‐ Don't come out there with that bullshit
or you gonna get popped
like a wheelie, you heard?
1077
00:57:48,802 --> 00:57:52,347
VIKRAM: Being gang‐affiliated doesn't
necessarily mean you're a criminal.
1078
00:57:52,347 --> 00:57:55,934
Chanelle, Seqo and Ado
had been creating a company
1079
00:57:55,934 --> 00:57:57,519
called Treyway Entertainment.
1080
00:57:57,519 --> 00:58:01,356
And when Danny entered their lives,
Treyway finally got on the radar
1081
00:58:01,356 --> 00:58:02,691
of the hip‐hop world.
1082
00:58:02,691 --> 00:58:05,944
But the Treyway crew
quickly became a gateway
1083
00:58:05,944 --> 00:58:08,238
for Danny to meet a larger family.
1084
00:58:08,238 --> 00:58:10,866
LAWYER:
What was the name of the gang
that you were a member of?
1085
00:58:10,866 --> 00:58:12,284
DANIEL:
The Nine Trey Bloods.
1086
00:58:12,284 --> 00:58:15,829
VIKRAM: The East Coast set of
the notorious Los Angeles street gang
1087
00:58:15,829 --> 00:58:18,582
was formed in Rikers Island in 1993.
1088
00:58:19,249 --> 00:58:22,127
The gang has been linked
to gun smuggling, human trafficking,
1089
00:58:22,127 --> 00:58:23,962
armed robberies, and heroin sales,
1090
00:58:23,962 --> 00:58:27,049
and considered
an organized criminal enterprise,
1091
00:58:27,049 --> 00:58:30,219
subject to the same
racketeering laws as the Mafia.
1092
00:58:31,720 --> 00:58:35,474
Now that Danny was starting to make money
from streams, concerts, and appearances,
1093
00:58:35,474 --> 00:58:37,392
he could be the gang's cash cow.
1094
00:58:37,392 --> 00:58:40,979
And the Nine Trey Bloods gave Danny
something that Loaf Muzik
1095
00:58:40,979 --> 00:58:42,606
and Scum Gang never could.
1096
00:58:43,148 --> 00:58:46,276
They could back up his online trolling
with real‐life muscle.
1097
00:58:47,444 --> 00:58:51,156
One of the Nine Trey members
that grew close to Danny early on
1098
00:58:51,156 --> 00:58:52,366
was Harv.
1099
00:58:52,366 --> 00:58:54,743
He soon became Danny's
day‐to‐day bodyguard.
1100
00:58:56,036 --> 00:58:57,454
‐ Treyway.
1101
00:58:57,454 --> 00:58:59,289
[laughing]
1102
00:58:59,289 --> 00:59:02,417
VIKRAM: During their friendship,
Harv and other members backed up Danny
1103
00:59:02,417 --> 00:59:04,169
in his beef with Trippie Redd,
1104
00:59:04,169 --> 00:59:08,131
by stalking him to the Gansevoort Hotel
and punching him in the face.
1105
00:59:08,131 --> 00:59:10,259
TRIPPIE REDD:
I just walked in and the nigga
1106
00:59:10,259 --> 00:59:11,718
sucker‐punched me in my mouth, nigga.
1107
00:59:11,718 --> 00:59:14,012
Real Bloods don't move like that, bro.
1108
00:59:14,012 --> 00:59:16,723
Now I'm gonna beat your ass
when I see you, my nigga.
1109
00:59:16,723 --> 00:59:18,892
You gonna be fucked up, nigga.
1110
00:59:18,892 --> 00:59:20,978
I just want you to know this shit, bro.
1111
00:59:22,855 --> 00:59:26,108
VIKRAM: Backstage at a performance
at A$AP Yams Day in New York,
1112
00:59:26,108 --> 00:59:28,861
the crew protected him
when a brawl broke out.
1113
00:59:31,405 --> 00:59:34,241
They fought again
at a random scuffle at LAX.
1114
00:59:37,911 --> 00:59:40,914
Another member of the gang was Shotti,
1115
00:59:40,914 --> 00:59:43,125
a longtime rival of Harv.
1116
00:59:43,125 --> 00:59:44,960
DANIEL:
When I released "Gummo,"
1117
00:59:44,960 --> 00:59:46,795
a lot of people were showing
attention to it,
1118
00:59:46,795 --> 00:59:50,632
and Shotti actually called Seqo
and said, uh,
1119
00:59:50,632 --> 00:59:52,217
"Tell him to stay in touch."
1120
00:59:52,217 --> 00:59:53,594
LAWYER:
What happened?
1121
00:59:53,594 --> 00:59:55,053
DANIEL:
I stayed in touch.
1122
00:59:55,053 --> 00:59:56,305
[engines revving]
1123
00:59:59,892 --> 01:00:01,935
♪ hip‐hop playing ♪
1124
01:00:08,275 --> 01:00:11,987
SHAWN: Kifano Jordan Shotti
has an extensive criminal history.
1125
01:00:11,987 --> 01:00:16,241
Probably the most outrageous incident
was this one time in New Jersey
1126
01:00:16,241 --> 01:00:20,162
where he got pulled over while driving
and took off running.
1127
01:00:20,162 --> 01:00:22,331
And by the time cops
finally caught up to him,
1128
01:00:22,331 --> 01:00:26,043
they found heroin
and a machete and marijuana.
1129
01:00:26,043 --> 01:00:28,754
And he'd tried to convince
one of the girls he was with
1130
01:00:28,754 --> 01:00:32,674
to like hide some drugs
in her private parts.
1131
01:00:32,674 --> 01:00:35,177
Like, it was a whole huge thing.
1132
01:00:35,177 --> 01:00:38,680
And he was actually made
Hunterdon County Fugitive of the Week.
1133
01:00:38,680 --> 01:00:43,268
It's funny because the whole time
6ix9ine was on his rise to fame,
1134
01:00:43,268 --> 01:00:46,855
Shotti was technically still on the run
for those New Jersey charges.
1135
01:00:47,564 --> 01:00:50,776
[shouting indistinctly]
1136
01:00:50,776 --> 01:00:53,820
VIKRAM: After seeing
all the success that Danny had found,
1137
01:00:53,820 --> 01:00:57,616
Shotti realized there was a way
to cash in on the Treyway name.
1138
01:01:01,537 --> 01:01:03,247
‐ Um, Treyway is the new Death Row,
1139
01:01:03,247 --> 01:01:05,332
'cause we comin' to the game
with a ferocity.
1140
01:01:05,332 --> 01:01:08,544
We are the new bad boy because
we comin' to the game with all the hits.
1141
01:01:08,544 --> 01:01:11,088
I'm the hottest CEO in the game,
you dig what I'm sayin'?
1142
01:01:11,088 --> 01:01:12,673
DJ PVNCH:
I matter. That's why you talk to me.
1143
01:01:12,673 --> 01:01:14,883
SHOTTI: Yeah, that's a fact. I can't‐‐
Nobody can't manage 6ix9ine.
1144
01:01:15,801 --> 01:01:17,469
He can't... it just won't happen,
you dig it?
1145
01:01:17,469 --> 01:01:20,472
He's like a, um, a wild animal.
You just gotta let him be, he rolls free.
1146
01:01:20,472 --> 01:01:21,515
Dig what I'm saying?
1147
01:01:21,515 --> 01:01:24,768
CHANELLE: He just thought he was
the damn boss, that's all he wanted to be.
1148
01:01:24,768 --> 01:01:27,938
He wasn't the CEO of Treyway.
He knew... he knew that.
1149
01:01:27,938 --> 01:01:31,525
So, I guess he was trying to,
you know, start a little trouble,
1150
01:01:31,525 --> 01:01:33,694
or try to make, you know, two Treyways.
1151
01:01:33,694 --> 01:01:35,404
[laughing]
1152
01:01:35,404 --> 01:01:36,864
VIKRAM:
Like many times in Danny's story,
1153
01:01:36,864 --> 01:01:39,783
a rift started to form
in the Treyway crew.
1154
01:01:39,783 --> 01:01:43,328
Chanelle, Seqo Billy, Billy Ado , and Harv
1155
01:01:43,328 --> 01:01:46,039
were slowly being pushed out by Shotti.
1156
01:01:46,039 --> 01:01:49,543
‐ Shotti probably had his own agenda
that nobody knew of.
1157
01:01:49,543 --> 01:01:51,879
That's that sneaky stuff
when you're around people
1158
01:01:51,879 --> 01:01:53,297
and they snaking you.
1159
01:01:53,964 --> 01:01:55,299
We didn't know.
1160
01:01:59,261 --> 01:02:01,930
That's what you get
when you don't stray the right way.
1161
01:02:01,930 --> 01:02:05,893
You came over here through Seqo,
you supposed to stick with Seqo.
1162
01:02:05,893 --> 01:02:07,186
That's it.
1163
01:02:07,186 --> 01:02:09,521
VIKRAM: Like, what do you see
as like the two different directions?
1164
01:02:09,521 --> 01:02:11,190
What could have happened
if you imagined‐‐
1165
01:02:11,190 --> 01:02:14,067
CHANELLE: One is the straight path,
the good path, and one is the bad path.
1166
01:02:14,067 --> 01:02:16,904
He like did the bad path,
the negative path.
1167
01:02:17,487 --> 01:02:19,031
Shotti's the dark side.
1168
01:02:25,913 --> 01:02:29,750
SHAWN: Tekashi loses the man
he considers his father
1169
01:02:29,750 --> 01:02:31,168
when he's 13 years old.
1170
01:02:31,835 --> 01:02:36,840
Tekashi's biological father
is out of his life very early on.
1171
01:02:38,342 --> 01:02:41,678
I think Tekashi was searching
for father figures
1172
01:02:41,678 --> 01:02:43,847
and Shotti definitely played that role.
1173
01:02:45,516 --> 01:02:48,393
VIKRAM: The dark side
complemented Danny's persona,
1174
01:02:48,393 --> 01:02:51,605
and Shotti let Tekashi 6ix9ine loose.
1175
01:02:51,605 --> 01:02:54,441
CHANELLE: A troll is somebody
who wants attention.
1176
01:02:54,441 --> 01:02:57,236
They don't care how they get
the attention as long as they get it.
1177
01:02:57,236 --> 01:02:59,279
Good, bad, negative.
1178
01:02:59,279 --> 01:03:01,740
Hurtin' people. They just want it.
1179
01:03:01,740 --> 01:03:03,283
He was unstoppable.
1180
01:03:03,283 --> 01:03:05,619
He liked to troll.
He was the troll king.
1181
01:03:05,619 --> 01:03:07,579
‐ You know how many people
I told to suck my dick in this industry?
1182
01:03:07,579 --> 01:03:09,248
Everybody suck my fuckin' dick.
1183
01:03:09,248 --> 01:03:10,707
Suck my fuckin' dick.
1184
01:03:10,707 --> 01:03:12,084
Suck
my fuckin' dick.
1185
01:03:12,084 --> 01:03:13,836
Suck my fuckin' dick.
1186
01:03:13,836 --> 01:03:15,796
Suck my dick, suck my dick,
suck my dick.
1187
01:03:15,796 --> 01:03:18,465
Suck my dick with your mother's lips.
Have your mother suck my dick.
1188
01:03:18,465 --> 01:03:20,926
Yo, I done told the whole world
to suck my dick.
1189
01:03:20,926 --> 01:03:22,511
I tell niggas suck my dick every day.
1190
01:03:22,511 --> 01:03:25,472
‐ You tell somebody
to suck your dick, man,
you gotta be ready to either kill or die.
1191
01:03:25,472 --> 01:03:27,474
‐ Aight, and I'm ready to die
and I'm ready to kill.
1192
01:03:27,474 --> 01:03:29,643
‐ Jesus Christ.
SARA: He's always been a troll.
1193
01:03:29,643 --> 01:03:32,187
Always. Before the persona.
1194
01:03:32,187 --> 01:03:35,482
Even when he was just Danny,
Danny was gonna troll you.
1195
01:03:35,482 --> 01:03:37,317
DJ PVNCH:
He just knew how to tug on emotions.
1196
01:03:37,317 --> 01:03:40,070
He knew how to get people mad,
whether it was a lie or the truth.
1197
01:03:40,070 --> 01:03:42,781
He had no limits on what he would do.
1198
01:03:42,781 --> 01:03:45,617
It was all about the pursuit of clout.
1199
01:03:45,617 --> 01:03:48,245
VIKRAM: Clout on the Internet
translated into rock star money.
1200
01:03:48,245 --> 01:03:52,207
Danny started flaunting jewelry
and stacks of cash online.
1201
01:03:52,207 --> 01:03:55,836
Now with the support of the gang,
Danny's trolling intensified
1202
01:03:55,836 --> 01:03:58,213
and he started targeting
mainstream rappers.
1203
01:03:58,213 --> 01:04:04,136
‐ Luda, you bum ass, pussy ass,
"Fast and the Furious" geek.
1204
01:04:04,136 --> 01:04:07,764
‐ [indistinct]
Well, nigga, fuck 6ix9ine, nigga.
1205
01:04:07,764 --> 01:04:09,766
I want Bloods!
What's happening, Blood?
1206
01:04:09,766 --> 01:04:13,812
‐ Hey, Blood. Man, fuck 6ix9ine, Blood.
1207
01:04:13,812 --> 01:04:17,566
In real life, these rappers
are fuckin' pussies.
1208
01:04:17,566 --> 01:04:19,359
‐ You don't think
you're effing up your money
1209
01:04:19,359 --> 01:04:21,153
with this tough guy gangster persona?
1210
01:04:21,153 --> 01:04:22,946
‐ Nah...
What, you think it's a persona?
1211
01:04:22,946 --> 01:04:24,698
‐ It is clearly a persona.
1212
01:04:32,956 --> 01:04:36,293
VIKRAM: So, what was Danny like
when he wasn't being 6ix9ine?
1213
01:04:38,170 --> 01:04:39,546
‐ A lot more timid.
1214
01:04:39,546 --> 01:04:42,966
Drastically, drastically, drastically
less aggressive.
1215
01:04:42,966 --> 01:04:44,218
Uh, way more playful.
1216
01:04:44,218 --> 01:04:46,845
He still was playful, even though
when he was on, on, on,
1217
01:04:46,845 --> 01:04:48,722
when cameras was off, he still like...
1218
01:04:48,722 --> 01:04:50,849
he still was on his kid shit, you know.
1219
01:04:50,849 --> 01:04:52,476
Slap you and run.
1220
01:04:52,935 --> 01:04:58,482
VIKRAM: And what is the difference
between Daniel and Tekashi?
1221
01:04:58,482 --> 01:05:00,901
‐ They were two separate people
at the beginning,
1222
01:05:00,901 --> 01:05:02,611
but that, that morphed into one.
1223
01:05:03,862 --> 01:05:06,448
'Cause, yeah, 'cause over time, it's like,
1224
01:05:06,448 --> 01:05:08,617
what's the point
of switching back to normal?
1225
01:05:10,160 --> 01:05:15,249
SARA: It was becoming hard for him
to really differentiate,
1226
01:05:15,249 --> 01:05:19,127
like, this persona and his real life.
1227
01:05:19,753 --> 01:05:22,965
There was no difference between
Danny and Tekashi anymore.
1228
01:05:32,599 --> 01:05:34,309
‐ You see the Mexican, Jorge?
1229
01:05:34,309 --> 01:05:36,395
ANGIE MARTINEZ: That's your security.
‐ That's my everyday guy.
1230
01:05:36,395 --> 01:05:38,146
And when you look at him,
1231
01:05:38,146 --> 01:05:40,774
you're like,
"That's not Tekashi's entourage."
1232
01:05:40,774 --> 01:05:42,901
ANGIE: You must like him 'cause...
DANIEL: And I love him.
1233
01:05:42,901 --> 01:05:45,863
He literally is like
another father to my daughter.
1234
01:05:45,863 --> 01:05:46,989
He's everything. Like he's...
1235
01:05:46,989 --> 01:05:48,866
ANGIE: So, did he make you
come here today?
1236
01:05:48,866 --> 01:05:51,076
DANIEL: He literally woke me up,
and just like, "Yo, come on,
1237
01:05:51,076 --> 01:05:53,036
you've got an interview,
it starts at 12:00, it's 11:30."
1238
01:06:26,820 --> 01:06:29,948
VIKRAM: With Shotti by his side
and Jorge behind the wheel,
1239
01:06:29,948 --> 01:06:32,784
6ix9ine and members
of the Nine Trey Bloods
1240
01:06:32,784 --> 01:06:36,413
started committing
premeditated robberies and assaults
1241
01:06:36,413 --> 01:06:39,917
to settle the beef that he'd started
on social media.
1242
01:06:39,917 --> 01:06:42,336
6ix9ine had become a full‐on gangster.
1243
01:06:43,962 --> 01:06:46,256
And that's when the guns
started coming out.
1244
01:06:47,549 --> 01:06:52,346
In April 2018, after being insulted
by members of Rap‐A‐Lot Records,
1245
01:06:52,346 --> 01:06:55,098
the gang rushed
to Midtown Manhattan to retaliate.
1246
01:07:50,445 --> 01:07:53,073
VIKRAM: They ended up robbing
at gunpoint ScumLord Dizzy,
1247
01:07:53,073 --> 01:07:55,826
a rapper completely unrelated to the beef,
1248
01:07:55,826 --> 01:07:58,203
who just happened to be exiting the lobby.
1249
01:07:58,203 --> 01:08:01,623
They stole his gold chain
and his backpack.
1250
01:08:23,979 --> 01:08:26,148
VIKRAM: You were there also
at the Barclays, right?
1251
01:08:55,219 --> 01:08:57,888
[indistinct rap over loudspeaker]
1252
01:09:16,114 --> 01:09:18,075
‐ [gunshot]
‐ [screaming]
1253
01:09:28,085 --> 01:09:29,962
VIKRAM:
Who's controlling the situation?
1254
01:09:29,962 --> 01:09:33,090
Is Danny controlling it, or Shotti?
Who's making it happen?
1255
01:09:39,763 --> 01:09:41,431
‐ Niggas started running and shit.
1256
01:09:48,981 --> 01:09:50,315
[indistinct chatter]
1257
01:09:50,315 --> 01:09:52,526
‐ Nigga say, fuck boy don't run.
1258
01:09:52,526 --> 01:09:55,612
VIKRAM: And then afterwards,
Danny goes on the Internet.
1259
01:09:55,612 --> 01:09:56,905
He's laughing about it.
1260
01:10:02,703 --> 01:10:06,582
‐ Ever'body?
‐ Ever'body gettin' shot. Boom‐boom‐boom!
1261
01:10:06,582 --> 01:10:08,333
[siren wailing]
1262
01:10:08,333 --> 01:10:11,503
VIKRAM: So, at this point,
you have got in pretty deep.
1263
01:10:39,990 --> 01:10:43,535
‐ So, fuck Chief Keef, fuck Lil Reese,
fuck all them niggas.
1264
01:10:43,535 --> 01:10:46,038
Fuck is y’all niggas talking about, nigga?
This is fuckin' Treyway, nigga.
1265
01:10:46,038 --> 01:10:47,039
‐ Treyway!
‐ I betcha...
1266
01:10:47,039 --> 01:10:49,958
SARA:
One of the times that I realized
1267
01:10:49,958 --> 01:10:53,795
his trolling could be like
actually really real
1268
01:10:53,795 --> 01:10:57,841
was when he was trolling
with Chief Keef.
1269
01:10:57,841 --> 01:11:02,054
And he had put out a hit
on Chief Keef's head.
1270
01:11:02,054 --> 01:11:04,806
‐ Yeah, I got, I got, I got a 30‐pack
on him right now, Blood.
1271
01:11:04,806 --> 01:11:05,974
30‐pack.
1272
01:11:05,974 --> 01:11:08,477
SARA:
That surfaced and it went viral,
1273
01:11:08,477 --> 01:11:13,315
and the next day Chief Keef
flew out to New York
1274
01:11:13,315 --> 01:11:14,691
and he was in Brooklyn.
1275
01:11:14,691 --> 01:11:18,278
I started seeing like the outcome
1276
01:11:18,278 --> 01:11:20,781
of his trolling going too far.
1277
01:11:21,406 --> 01:11:23,867
REPORTER: Chicago rapper Chief Keef
is doing fine tonight
1278
01:11:23,867 --> 01:11:25,869
after being shot at in New York.
1279
01:11:25,869 --> 01:11:28,497
ADAM22: You send your friend
to go shoot at Chief Keef
1280
01:11:28,497 --> 01:11:30,541
in the middle of Midtown Manhattan.
1281
01:11:30,541 --> 01:11:33,794
You're crazy. That's not something that
anybody in their right mind would ever do.
1282
01:11:33,794 --> 01:11:35,754
In a big way, you know,
those are the things
1283
01:11:35,754 --> 01:11:37,798
that sort of made people
want to pay attention to him,
1284
01:11:37,798 --> 01:11:39,716
is that it seemed like he was
1285
01:11:39,716 --> 01:11:43,929
doing something that should put
his life at risk, on a weekly basis.
1286
01:11:43,929 --> 01:11:47,349
‐ I mean, I guess he has
a lot of beef on these streets.
1287
01:11:47,349 --> 01:11:50,018
I don't know who's he's beefing with
that wants to hurt him,
1288
01:11:50,018 --> 01:11:52,229
but it's definitely not me,
I'm actually a fan.
1289
01:11:52,229 --> 01:11:56,316
SHAWN: He knew that doing
the unthinkable would...
1290
01:11:56,316 --> 01:11:59,069
get him attention and make him a star.
1291
01:11:59,069 --> 01:12:02,114
And he was absolutely right.
1292
01:12:02,114 --> 01:12:05,701
‐ But this year we got three songs
on the Billboard Top 100.
1293
01:12:05,701 --> 01:12:07,828
You know what I'm sayin'?
100,000, man.
1294
01:12:07,828 --> 01:12:11,582
"Gummo," "Kooda," "Keke,"
"Rondo," and "Billy."
1295
01:12:11,582 --> 01:12:13,083
‐ Treyway!
‐ Treyway!
1296
01:12:13,083 --> 01:12:15,460
So, "Gotti" just hit five million
in one day,
1297
01:12:15,460 --> 01:12:17,462
six for six on fucking Billboard.
1298
01:12:17,462 --> 01:12:19,673
‐ Six for what?
‐ We six for six.
1299
01:12:19,673 --> 01:12:20,549
‐ Six for what?
1300
01:12:20,549 --> 01:12:22,885
‐ The fuck goin' on, man?
We ain't duckin' chains out here, man.
1301
01:12:22,885 --> 01:12:26,013
We out here killin' New York shit, man.
This is my CEO.
1302
01:12:26,013 --> 01:12:27,306
[crowd cheering]
1303
01:12:28,765 --> 01:12:31,518
I'm on a world tour.
Every show sold out.
1304
01:12:31,518 --> 01:12:33,896
‐ Just landed in Barcelona, Spain.
1305
01:12:33,896 --> 01:12:35,731
♪ Look at me, look at me ♪
1306
01:12:35,731 --> 01:12:37,149
DANIEL:
They try to stop us.
1307
01:12:37,149 --> 01:12:39,776
I'll break through all that shit.
1308
01:12:39,776 --> 01:12:42,112
You know, pedophile comments,
all that shit.
1309
01:12:42,112 --> 01:12:44,364
Nobody can stop me.
1310
01:12:44,364 --> 01:12:46,074
This is fuckin' Treyway.
1311
01:12:46,074 --> 01:12:48,660
What up, y'all?
So I just landed in Belgium.
1312
01:12:48,660 --> 01:12:50,412
Tomorrow I will be in Berlin.
1313
01:12:50,412 --> 01:12:52,372
Shit, it is gonna be fuckin' retarded.
1314
01:12:52,372 --> 01:12:54,374
[music playing, crowd cheering]
1315
01:13:07,429 --> 01:13:10,891
‐ How many of you niggas ever been
in the Swiss Alps with the fucking
number‐one artist in the world?
1316
01:13:10,891 --> 01:13:13,101
♪ rapping ♪
1317
01:13:15,437 --> 01:13:18,440
‐ I'm with the fuckin' Treyway.
Peace out and shit, Blood.
1318
01:13:18,440 --> 01:13:20,901
‐ Sign with Treyway,
look what your life could be.
1319
01:13:20,901 --> 01:13:22,277
DANIEL:
Sign with Treyway.
1320
01:13:22,277 --> 01:13:24,029
VIKRAM:
6ix9ine was on top of his game.
1321
01:13:24,905 --> 01:13:26,657
Money was flowing in,
1322
01:13:27,199 --> 01:13:30,410
and he'd found a perfect
partner in crime in Shotti.
1323
01:13:31,411 --> 01:13:32,621
‐ I'm really the King of New York.
1324
01:13:32,621 --> 01:13:35,707
Like I'm really the king of my city.
1325
01:13:38,001 --> 01:13:39,336
And I'm happy.
1326
01:13:39,336 --> 01:13:41,380
I'm happy, like...
1327
01:13:41,380 --> 01:13:43,048
I'm just fuckin' happy.
1328
01:13:50,055 --> 01:13:52,683
VIKRAM: So how did everything
start falling apart?
1329
01:13:53,392 --> 01:13:55,310
SHAWN:
In large part, there are people,
1330
01:13:55,310 --> 01:13:57,396
you know, loyal to Shotti
1331
01:13:57,396 --> 01:14:00,023
and Shotti's longtime friend Mel Murda.
1332
01:14:00,023 --> 01:14:05,153
That crew actually becomes known
as the "Murderville line" of Nine Trey.
1333
01:14:05,153 --> 01:14:07,406
And then you have people who, you know,
1334
01:14:07,406 --> 01:14:09,324
feel like they were around
in the beginning
1335
01:14:09,324 --> 01:14:12,995
and who sacrificed for Tekashi
and were there with him
1336
01:14:12,995 --> 01:14:14,955
and let him sleep on their floor.
1337
01:14:14,955 --> 01:14:17,374
And they feel like they are
getting pushed out.
1338
01:14:17,374 --> 01:14:20,377
I think you have people
like Chanelle and Seqo.
1339
01:14:20,377 --> 01:14:24,339
And, you know, even Harv,
who gets pushed out around the spring.
1340
01:14:24,339 --> 01:14:28,177
Harv punched Trippie
right in the mouth for Tekashi.
1341
01:14:28,177 --> 01:14:32,931
Harv got into a brawl at LAX for Tekashi
and then isn't getting paid.
1342
01:14:32,931 --> 01:14:35,517
Everything culminates
in Harv saying, you know,
1343
01:14:35,517 --> 01:14:37,686
"I'm gonna kidnap and rob this guy."
1344
01:14:50,157 --> 01:14:51,533
DANIEL:
So I leave the house.
1345
01:14:52,242 --> 01:14:54,328
We get like a block away,
two blocks away.
1346
01:14:55,954 --> 01:14:57,539
We had a red light,
1347
01:14:57,539 --> 01:15:00,584
and a car just smashes
the whole back of the car.
1348
01:15:00,584 --> 01:15:01,793
[car crashes]
1349
01:15:01,793 --> 01:15:04,379
My face almost hit the fuckin' dashboard.
1350
01:15:04,379 --> 01:15:06,423
[car occupants speaking indistinctly]
1351
01:15:06,423 --> 01:15:10,093
He's telling me in Spanish like,
"I'm gonna let them go.
Let me just make sure they're okay."
1352
01:15:10,802 --> 01:15:11,678
Oh, my God.
1353
01:15:12,387 --> 01:15:14,223
I'm looking in the side mirror.
1354
01:15:14,223 --> 01:15:16,558
All I see is this dude...
1355
01:15:17,267 --> 01:15:18,894
I see the gun in his hand.
1356
01:15:18,894 --> 01:15:22,272
My whole heart just went
to my stomach, like, they got me.
1357
01:15:22,731 --> 01:15:23,941
My door swung open.
1358
01:15:37,371 --> 01:15:39,748
[tires squeal]
1359
01:15:43,502 --> 01:15:46,129
‐ [phone dialing]
‐ [recorded voice playing indistinctly]
1360
01:15:58,058 --> 01:16:01,603
DANIEL:
I'm in the back seat, I'm just like‐‐
I don't have nothing to offer.
1361
01:16:01,603 --> 01:16:05,023
And I'm trying to avoid
going to the house.
1362
01:16:06,108 --> 01:16:09,152
So it's at a point where
it's just like my life or something.
1363
01:16:23,500 --> 01:16:27,045
DANIEL: Is jewelry, is money,
is all that shit more important
1364
01:16:27,045 --> 01:16:31,425
than seeing Saraiyah, my daughter,
graduate from kindergarten?
1365
01:16:32,885 --> 01:16:37,014
So I say, "I got some jewelry in the crib.
Don't hurt my daughter."
1366
01:16:39,433 --> 01:16:42,352
'Cause they wasn't letting me look
nowhere out the windows.
1367
01:16:42,352 --> 01:16:45,063
By the time I came back up,
I'm in front of my house.
1368
01:16:48,442 --> 01:16:51,236
When the jewelry was recovered,
I'm like...
1369
01:16:51,236 --> 01:16:53,780
I am a free man, and when that car went,
1370
01:16:53,780 --> 01:16:55,908
my stomach started turning in circles.
1371
01:16:55,908 --> 01:16:57,034
[tires screeching]
1372
01:17:00,329 --> 01:17:01,705
Where are we goin'?
1373
01:17:03,165 --> 01:17:06,251
Is this the place where I die?
Is this the place? No.
1374
01:17:06,251 --> 01:17:07,544
'Cause we keep driving.
1375
01:17:07,544 --> 01:17:08,962
Aight, is this the place? No.
1376
01:17:10,172 --> 01:17:12,341
What is about to happen?
1377
01:17:13,258 --> 01:17:14,718
And I started talking to God.
1378
01:17:14,718 --> 01:17:17,304
I'm like, "You're the only one
that can get me out of this."
1379
01:17:19,473 --> 01:17:21,225
There was an argument that happened.
1380
01:17:21,225 --> 01:17:23,936
I managed to throw myself out.
1381
01:17:25,812 --> 01:17:28,106
REPORTER:
We begin with "12 on Crime" news.
1382
01:17:28,106 --> 01:17:32,069
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine is safe,
according to authorities.
1383
01:17:32,069 --> 01:17:34,112
He was taken to Kings County Hospital
for observation.
1384
01:17:34,112 --> 01:17:38,700
So far no arrests have been made,
and the investigation is ongoing.
1385
01:18:04,142 --> 01:18:05,978
[siren chirping]
1386
01:18:08,480 --> 01:18:09,940
[police radio in background]
1387
01:18:11,316 --> 01:18:12,776
SHAWN:
Tekashi's on tour
1388
01:18:12,776 --> 01:18:15,404
and he's getting ready to move apartments.
1389
01:18:15,404 --> 01:18:18,365
Obviously, not him personally,
but, you know, his family, his stuff,
1390
01:18:18,365 --> 01:18:20,659
is getting ready to be moved
to Long Island.
1391
01:18:21,243 --> 01:18:23,745
And, in the midst of this,
1392
01:18:23,745 --> 01:18:27,040
the feds roll up
and confiscate a bunch of stuff,
1393
01:18:27,040 --> 01:18:30,919
including an assault rifle
and a backpack that was taken
1394
01:18:30,919 --> 01:18:32,462
at the "This is 50" robbery.
1395
01:18:36,383 --> 01:18:39,303
This absolutely freaks Tekashi out.
1396
01:18:39,303 --> 01:18:41,221
He doesn't know what to do.
1397
01:18:41,221 --> 01:18:45,392
And he actually ends up, unfortunately,
1398
01:18:45,392 --> 01:18:49,438
taking out his state of mind
on Sara Molina, who flies out to Dubai.
1399
01:18:53,567 --> 01:18:55,861
SARA:
He was begging me to go to Dubai.
1400
01:18:55,861 --> 01:18:59,615
He was like,
"Please, can you come over here?
1401
01:18:59,615 --> 01:19:01,116
"I'm scared.
1402
01:19:01,116 --> 01:19:03,452
"And I know once I land,
1403
01:19:03,452 --> 01:19:06,663
"if I go back right now,
they're gonna lock me up.
1404
01:19:06,663 --> 01:19:08,790
"And if I'm gonna see a face,
1405
01:19:08,790 --> 01:19:11,502
"please let your face be
the last face I see.
1406
01:19:11,502 --> 01:19:12,628
Come."
1407
01:19:12,628 --> 01:19:15,631
You know, so he ended up
convincing me to go.
1408
01:19:17,049 --> 01:19:22,429
I got to Dubai, and as soon as I got in,
he asked to go through my phone.
1409
01:19:22,429 --> 01:19:25,015
And he's going through my messages.
1410
01:19:25,015 --> 01:19:28,393
He's very angry 'cause he sees Jorge
1411
01:19:28,393 --> 01:19:31,438
is telling me things that he was doing.
1412
01:19:32,064 --> 01:19:35,067
Basically, just like snitching on him.
1413
01:19:35,067 --> 01:19:37,444
He saw that, immediately got livid.
1414
01:19:37,444 --> 01:19:42,324
And he went ahead and like took my phone
1415
01:19:42,324 --> 01:19:44,409
and smashed it on my head,
1416
01:19:44,409 --> 01:19:46,620
and started punching me in my head.
1417
01:19:46,620 --> 01:19:47,621
So...
1418
01:19:47,621 --> 01:19:49,456
VIKRAM: Had he ever done
anything like that before?
1419
01:19:49,456 --> 01:19:50,832
‐ Yeah.
1420
01:19:54,127 --> 01:19:57,840
He's a person that doesn't know
how to deal with his anger.
1421
01:19:59,258 --> 01:20:02,886
VIKRAM: At what point
in your relationship did the abuse start?
1422
01:20:03,971 --> 01:20:07,891
SARA: It started maybe a month
after I moved in with him.
1423
01:20:08,600 --> 01:20:12,229
VIKRAM: So even before he was famous,
even before Tekashi was a thing...
1424
01:20:12,229 --> 01:20:14,648
‐ Yeah.
‐ ...Danny was actually violent.
1425
01:20:14,648 --> 01:20:15,858
‐ Yeah.
1426
01:20:21,113 --> 01:20:25,409
VIKRAM: Tekashi's 2015 sex crime case
came back to haunt him,
1427
01:20:26,618 --> 01:20:30,122
and he had to prove to the court
that he wasn't really the gangster
1428
01:20:30,122 --> 01:20:32,541
that he appeared to be on social media.
1429
01:20:33,458 --> 01:20:37,004
‐ On behalf of the Make‐a‐Wish Foundation,
we're gonna go visit Franklin.
1430
01:20:37,004 --> 01:20:38,881
He's a 5‐year‐old young boy
1431
01:20:38,881 --> 01:20:41,425
that has stage 4 terminal brain cancer.
1432
01:20:41,425 --> 01:20:43,594
[children cheering]
1433
01:20:43,594 --> 01:20:45,721
SHAWN: His legal team was
able to convince the judge
1434
01:20:45,721 --> 01:20:48,015
that all this gang stuff
was just for show,
1435
01:20:48,015 --> 01:20:49,558
was to promote his music.
1436
01:20:50,184 --> 01:20:53,145
[shrieking]
1437
01:20:53,145 --> 01:20:56,982
SHAWN: Really he was a good guy
who cared about the community
1438
01:20:56,982 --> 01:20:59,943
and went to see sick fans
and gave out money
1439
01:20:59,943 --> 01:21:02,487
to underprivileged people.
1440
01:21:02,487 --> 01:21:03,655
And it worked.
1441
01:21:03,655 --> 01:21:05,657
[children chattering]
1442
01:21:07,409 --> 01:21:10,871
REPORTER: Tekashi 6ix9ine
is breathing a sigh of relief tonight.
1443
01:21:10,871 --> 01:21:13,207
Just a short time ago,
a judge sentenced him
1444
01:21:13,207 --> 01:21:14,541
to four years' probation.
1445
01:21:14,541 --> 01:21:16,877
He's completely dodging
jail time this time.
1446
01:21:16,877 --> 01:21:18,253
And the judge did warn him,
1447
01:21:18,253 --> 01:21:21,340
if he violated any of the terms
of this probation,
1448
01:21:21,340 --> 01:21:23,550
he will be facing jail time.
1449
01:21:31,183 --> 01:21:32,559
SARA:
We were all happy.
1450
01:21:32,559 --> 01:21:35,604
That case had went on
for basically like three years.
1451
01:21:35,604 --> 01:21:38,774
And we were gonna go get something
to eat and kind of celebrate
1452
01:21:38,774 --> 01:21:41,276
right before my daughter's birthday party.
1453
01:21:44,363 --> 01:21:48,033
Elliot was already at Philippe's
with his security,
1454
01:21:48,033 --> 01:21:49,451
so when we got there,
1455
01:21:49,451 --> 01:21:54,790
Shotti told Danny to stay in the car,
that he wanted to have a talk with Elliot.
1456
01:21:55,457 --> 01:21:57,501
Elliot just told him
that he don't like him,
1457
01:21:57,501 --> 01:21:58,877
he don't want him around.
1458
01:21:58,877 --> 01:22:01,505
He thinks he's bad for business
1459
01:22:01,505 --> 01:22:04,842
and that he shouldn't be around Danny.
1460
01:22:05,676 --> 01:22:09,388
SHAWN: The backstory to that is that,
Shotti was in the position
1461
01:22:09,388 --> 01:22:14,017
of already fielding a ton of offers
from record labels for 6ix9ine,
1462
01:22:14,017 --> 01:22:16,186
with a healthy cut for himself,
1463
01:22:16,186 --> 01:22:17,604
but he couldn't take them
1464
01:22:17,604 --> 01:22:20,315
because 6ix9ine was signed
to Elliot Grainge.
1465
01:22:20,315 --> 01:22:23,652
And Shotti doesn't like that very much.
1466
01:22:23,652 --> 01:22:26,405
REPORTER: All right, let's bring you right
up to date here with some breaking news.
1467
01:22:26,405 --> 01:22:28,782
Police responding right now
to a shooting in Midtown.
1468
01:22:28,782 --> 01:22:30,284
REPORTER 2:
...near busy Madison Avenue,
1469
01:22:30,284 --> 01:22:32,661
and tonight we're learning
it is connected
1470
01:22:32,661 --> 01:22:34,329
to a controversial rapper.
1471
01:22:34,329 --> 01:22:36,290
REPORTER 3: Hernandez
was due to meet his manager
1472
01:22:36,290 --> 01:22:38,876
here at the Upper East Side
restaurant Philippe to celebrate
1473
01:22:38,876 --> 01:22:41,962
but brought a bunch of friends,
whom the manager had not invited.
1474
01:22:41,962 --> 01:22:45,716
REPORTER 4: One of them uses a chair
to hit one of the private security guys,
1475
01:22:45,716 --> 01:22:47,134
a retired cop.
1476
01:22:47,134 --> 01:22:51,638
OFFICER: This security guard
produced a licensed handgun
1477
01:22:51,638 --> 01:22:55,267
and fired two times, striking
one of the individuals in the torso.
1478
01:22:55,267 --> 01:22:57,227
SHAWN:
So this is a key moment,
1479
01:22:57,227 --> 01:23:00,314
because Tekashi is really on his way
1480
01:23:00,314 --> 01:23:04,151
to becoming an actual
honest‐to‐goodness star,
1481
01:23:04,151 --> 01:23:06,069
who, you know, your grandma knows.
1482
01:23:06,069 --> 01:23:09,615
And here comes Shotti and his friends,
these gangsters, you know,
1483
01:23:09,615 --> 01:23:12,951
forcing their way in by throwing
a chair at the window.
1484
01:23:12,951 --> 01:23:18,540
And it's really emblematic of this whole
moment in Tekashi's career,
1485
01:23:18,540 --> 01:23:23,462
where he's trying to push out the people
who honestly got him where he was.
1486
01:23:24,087 --> 01:23:25,172
DANIEL:
What's up, everybody?
1487
01:23:25,172 --> 01:23:28,050
So I'm letting everybody know
that I canceled my whole tour.
1488
01:23:28,050 --> 01:23:31,470
The American dates is not happening.
It's not going down.
1489
01:23:31,470 --> 01:23:33,347
I fired everybody in my team.
1490
01:23:33,347 --> 01:23:36,183
I got no manager, I got no booking agent,
I got no PR, no public‐‐
1491
01:23:36,183 --> 01:23:37,851
I don't got nobody on my team.
1492
01:23:37,851 --> 01:23:38,894
It's just me...
1493
01:23:38,894 --> 01:23:40,979
VIKRAM:
After his falling out with Shotti,
1494
01:23:40,979 --> 01:23:45,150
6ix9ine was back to being a gang of one.
1495
01:23:45,150 --> 01:23:46,777
CHARLEMAGNE:
Why did you fire everybody, 6ix9ine?
1496
01:23:46,777 --> 01:23:48,403
DJ ENVY:
Yeah, we seen the video yesterday.
1497
01:23:48,403 --> 01:23:50,322
DANIEL:
I learned the hard way, right?
1498
01:23:50,322 --> 01:23:52,407
Every Blood is not your Blood.
1499
01:23:52,407 --> 01:23:53,867
I'll just put that like that, right?
1500
01:23:53,867 --> 01:23:54,826
CHARLEMAGNE:
Correct.
1501
01:23:55,494 --> 01:23:58,830
‐ There's a difference between
being a gang member...
1502
01:24:00,457 --> 01:24:02,501
and just being a dirty nigga.
1503
01:24:02,501 --> 01:24:03,669
‐ [chuckles]
1504
01:24:03,669 --> 01:24:05,963
DANIEL:
Only two things I'm scared of in life.
1505
01:24:06,713 --> 01:24:08,006
God first.
1506
01:24:08,006 --> 01:24:09,341
And the FBI.
1507
01:24:10,634 --> 01:24:12,803
REPORTER: New information tonight
about the man who calls himself
1508
01:24:12,803 --> 01:24:14,096
Tekashi 6ix9ine.
1509
01:24:14,096 --> 01:24:16,682
REPORTER 2:
Tekashi 6ix9ine was arrested.
1510
01:24:16,682 --> 01:24:18,892
REPORTER 3:
Tekashi 6ix9ine is in federal custody
1511
01:24:18,892 --> 01:24:23,272
on racketeering and firearms charges,
along with several former associates.
1512
01:24:23,272 --> 01:24:25,858
REPORTER 4: The investigation
was a joint effort between ATF,
1513
01:24:25,858 --> 01:24:28,193
the NYPD, and Homeland Security.
1514
01:24:28,193 --> 01:24:31,697
REPORTER 5: Tekashi 6ix9ine
pleaded guilty to federal charges,
1515
01:24:31,697 --> 01:24:33,448
admitted he participated
in a violent gang.
1516
01:24:33,448 --> 01:24:36,034
He also pledged
to cooperate with prosecutors.
1517
01:24:36,034 --> 01:24:39,580
He was facing a mandatory
47‐year prison sentence.
1518
01:24:42,082 --> 01:24:45,752
VIKRAM: After his arrest,
his popularity reached new heights.
1519
01:24:48,130 --> 01:24:51,425
This was 6ix9ine's crowning achievement.
1520
01:24:53,385 --> 01:24:56,471
LAWYER: Mr. Hernandez, are you currently
in federal custody?
1521
01:24:56,471 --> 01:24:57,514
DANIEL: Yes, sir.
1522
01:24:57,514 --> 01:25:00,100
LAWYER: Approximately when did
you start living in federal custody?
1523
01:25:00,684 --> 01:25:03,145
DANIEL:
November 18, 2018.
1524
01:25:03,145 --> 01:25:05,856
LAWYER: At some point, did you decide
to cooperate with the government?
1525
01:25:05,856 --> 01:25:07,065
DANIEL: Yes.
1526
01:25:07,065 --> 01:25:08,442
LAWYER:
When did that happen?
1527
01:25:08,442 --> 01:25:11,820
DANIEL: November 19th,
the day after we was taken down.
1528
01:25:13,071 --> 01:25:16,491
LAWYER: Mr. Hernandez, do you
recognize anyone in the courtroom
1529
01:25:16,491 --> 01:25:19,161
as a member of Nine Trey
when you were a member?
1530
01:25:19,620 --> 01:25:20,746
‐ Yes.
1531
01:25:20,746 --> 01:25:22,080
LAWYER:
Who do you recognize?
1532
01:25:22,706 --> 01:25:26,668
‐ Harv Anthony Ellison has a gray suit on.
1533
01:25:27,628 --> 01:25:29,755
VIKRAM:
His testimony helped the feds hand out
1534
01:25:29,755 --> 01:25:31,965
over a hundred years of prison time
1535
01:25:31,965 --> 01:25:33,425
to Harv,
1536
01:25:33,425 --> 01:25:35,093
Shotti,
1537
01:25:35,093 --> 01:25:36,261
Mel Murda,
1538
01:25:36,261 --> 01:25:38,180
and eight other Nine Trey members.
1539
01:25:40,516 --> 01:25:42,434
‐ Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine...
1540
01:25:42,434 --> 01:25:44,228
WOMAN 1: Oh, no!
WOMAN 2: Why?
1541
01:25:44,228 --> 01:25:45,854
‐ ...has been getting a bad rap lately
1542
01:25:45,854 --> 01:25:48,857
for snitching on pretty much everyone
during his trial.
1543
01:25:48,857 --> 01:25:50,400
‐ Snitching to stay out of jail.
1544
01:25:50,400 --> 01:25:53,362
There's a chance he might even end up
in the Witness Protection Program.
1545
01:25:53,362 --> 01:25:55,280
I'd love this guy to be
my milkman one day.
1546
01:25:55,280 --> 01:25:57,115
HOWARD STERN:
He sang like a canary.
1547
01:25:57,115 --> 01:25:58,992
‐ That motherfucker sang
like Aretha Franklin.
1548
01:25:58,992 --> 01:26:00,744
[man laughing]
1549
01:26:00,744 --> 01:26:03,372
‐ Snitch nine.
‐ Motherfuckers hate this guy.
1550
01:26:03,372 --> 01:26:04,623
‐ Snitch.
‐ You're a rat...
1551
01:26:04,623 --> 01:26:05,791
‐ This nigga's crazy.
1552
01:26:05,791 --> 01:26:07,751
R‐A‐T. Rat.
1553
01:26:07,751 --> 01:26:10,170
‐ Shout out to Tekashi, though.
I hope he doesn't die.
1554
01:26:10,170 --> 01:26:12,965
REPORTER: Tekashi 6ix9ine has gotten
a multimillion‐dollar record deal
1555
01:26:12,965 --> 01:26:14,049
while he's in jail.
1556
01:26:14,049 --> 01:26:16,552
REPORTER 2: Just cut a deal
worth more than $10 million...
1557
01:26:16,552 --> 01:26:18,512
REPORTER 3:
...with his former label, 10K Projects.
1558
01:26:25,644 --> 01:26:27,688
DERRICK PARKER:
While I was in the NYPD,
1559
01:26:27,688 --> 01:26:30,148
they created a unit
that was called the Rap Unit.
1560
01:26:30,148 --> 01:26:32,776
There was a lot of violence
in the rap music industry.
1561
01:26:32,776 --> 01:26:35,571
Rappers were perpetrators,
or they were victims.
1562
01:26:35,571 --> 01:26:38,282
When Biggie got killed,
his death opened up the eyes
1563
01:26:38,282 --> 01:26:39,992
of the police department.
1564
01:26:40,742 --> 01:26:44,538
I had to go out and I had to monitor
where they went,
1565
01:26:44,538 --> 01:26:46,331
what kind of venues they went to.
1566
01:26:46,331 --> 01:26:49,418
Not just to profile them
but to keep them out of trouble.
1567
01:26:50,002 --> 01:26:53,005
VIKRAM: The feds had been monitoring
the Nine Trey Bloods for decades.
1568
01:26:53,005 --> 01:26:55,257
So 6ix9ine's social media presence
1569
01:26:55,257 --> 01:26:58,218
gave them, and the entire world,
a window in.
1570
01:26:58,218 --> 01:27:02,222
‐ The federal government has wiretaps,
cell phone traps, traces.
1571
01:27:02,222 --> 01:27:05,350
And remember, in New York City now,
we have cameras everywhere.
1572
01:27:05,350 --> 01:27:07,352
You could say Big Brother's watching.
1573
01:27:08,228 --> 01:27:10,063
What the feds discovered
1574
01:27:10,063 --> 01:27:12,733
is that there was dissension
in the ranks,
1575
01:27:13,358 --> 01:27:15,819
where this guy
wasn't getting enough money.
1576
01:27:15,819 --> 01:27:17,571
This guy's looking to rob him.
1577
01:27:18,614 --> 01:27:21,742
When he got involved with the Bloods,
there's really no way out.
1578
01:27:21,742 --> 01:27:24,203
It's not like you could just walk away.
1579
01:27:24,203 --> 01:27:27,915
And I know for a fact that, you know,
he was spoken to and talked to.
1580
01:27:27,915 --> 01:27:29,708
You know?
VIKRAM: Before he was arrested?
1581
01:27:29,708 --> 01:27:30,792
‐ Yes.
1582
01:27:35,005 --> 01:27:37,466
VIKRAM: In one wiretap,
Shotti can be heard
1583
01:27:37,466 --> 01:27:39,593
threatening 6ix9ine's life.
1584
01:27:39,593 --> 01:27:43,597
‐ This is Mel Murda and Shotti
talking about 6ix9ine.
1585
01:27:57,194 --> 01:28:00,531
‐ The FBI used
some of the recordings to inform him,
1586
01:28:00,531 --> 01:28:03,825
"Look, this is what's gonna happen to you
if you don't come onboard."
1587
01:28:03,825 --> 01:28:05,577
Remember, they had informants
inside the camp.
1588
01:28:06,578 --> 01:28:10,332
VIKRAM: Do you know who
the FBI informant was?
1589
01:28:10,332 --> 01:28:11,500
DERRICK: No.
1590
01:28:16,296 --> 01:28:18,298
♪
1591
01:29:56,563 --> 01:30:00,150
VIKRAM: After you got picked up
by the feds, did they wire you?
1592
01:30:00,150 --> 01:30:01,568
Did they ever wiretap you?
1593
01:30:20,212 --> 01:30:22,464
VIKRAM: So, Jorge, you testified
in court, right?
1594
01:30:24,508 --> 01:30:26,969
VIKRAM: So the Bloods know
that you were involved in it.
1595
01:30:29,263 --> 01:30:30,973
VIKRAM: Are you nervous
about the Bloods right now?
1596
01:31:14,099 --> 01:31:16,476
‐ [distant horn honking]
‐ [muted crowd chatter]
1597
01:31:19,062 --> 01:31:23,025
VIKRAM: Our world's increasingly dominated
by extreme personalities.
1598
01:31:23,025 --> 01:31:26,278
The press and social media
can't get enough.
1599
01:31:26,278 --> 01:31:29,198
So it felt appropriate
that 6ix9ine's sentencing
1600
01:31:29,198 --> 01:31:32,951
would be handed out on the same day
as Trump's impeachment.
1601
01:31:33,577 --> 01:31:37,247
As Danny took to the microphone
for his final statement to the court,
1602
01:31:37,247 --> 01:31:40,125
a disheveled man
in his 50s raised his voice,
1603
01:31:40,125 --> 01:31:43,086
proclaiming to be
Daniel's biological father.
1604
01:31:43,086 --> 01:31:44,963
Not the one who'd been murdered,
1605
01:31:44,963 --> 01:31:48,175
but the man who'd abandoned the family
when Danny was just a boy.
1606
01:31:48,175 --> 01:31:51,011
He'd not seen his son in nearly 15 years.
1607
01:31:51,762 --> 01:31:54,890
The courtroom, and Daniel,
were visibly shaken.
1608
01:31:54,890 --> 01:31:58,310
Daniel said to the judge,
"My life is so crazy.
1609
01:31:58,310 --> 01:32:00,812
I don't even know
if this is a joke anymore."
1610
01:32:01,688 --> 01:32:04,816
Daniel was sentenced
to two years, with time served,
1611
01:32:04,816 --> 01:32:07,194
which meant he would be out
in less than a year.
1612
01:32:11,281 --> 01:32:12,533
DANIEL HERNANDEZ SR.:
He got money.
1613
01:32:12,533 --> 01:32:14,076
You know, he got millions.
1614
01:32:14,076 --> 01:32:16,995
Why he have to do stuff
that is not worth it?
1615
01:32:16,995 --> 01:32:18,455
You know what I'm saying?
1616
01:32:18,455 --> 01:32:20,499
I will sit down with him
and put him straight.
1617
01:32:20,499 --> 01:32:22,042
REPORTER:
How do you feel right now?
1618
01:32:22,042 --> 01:32:23,919
‐ Right now, I feel good, I feel good.
1619
01:32:23,919 --> 01:32:26,547
Only a little strange
'cause I got a lot of microphones
1620
01:32:26,547 --> 01:32:28,549
and cameras and all that.
1621
01:32:28,549 --> 01:32:30,217
But no money, no money.
1622
01:32:30,217 --> 01:32:33,178
Nobody bring no money.
‐ No cigarettes.
1623
01:32:33,178 --> 01:32:35,472
‐ Then I don't say nothing. [laughing]
1624
01:32:44,356 --> 01:32:47,192
VIKRAM:
For years, Daniel Hernandez Sr.
1625
01:32:47,192 --> 01:32:49,945
had been living
only a few miles from his son.
1626
01:32:51,405 --> 01:32:54,700
I met him outside
his homeless shelter in Queens.
1627
01:32:54,700 --> 01:32:57,035
DANIEL SR.: You know Tekashi 6ix9ine?
MAN: Uh‐huh.
1628
01:32:57,035 --> 01:32:58,745
DANIEL SR.: That's my son.
MAN: Oh.
1629
01:32:58,745 --> 01:33:00,372
DANIEL SR.:
He's famous, a multimillionaire.
1630
01:33:00,372 --> 01:33:02,833
MAN: Good for you.
DANIEL SR.: Yeah. [laughs]
1631
01:33:02,833 --> 01:33:04,293
God bless you.
1632
01:33:04,293 --> 01:33:06,336
VIKRAM:
In the brief time I spent with him,
1633
01:33:06,336 --> 01:33:10,007
he claimed to have insights
on his estranged son.
1634
01:33:10,007 --> 01:33:11,884
DANIEL SR.:
He knows how I went to jail.
1635
01:33:11,884 --> 01:33:14,970
He knows I was locked up,
and he always wanted to be a gangster.
1636
01:33:14,970 --> 01:33:17,723
All right? I know that affect him,
you know what I'm saying?
1637
01:33:17,723 --> 01:33:21,602
Because, uh, he...
I think he took that from me.
1638
01:33:21,602 --> 01:33:24,563
VIKRAM: And he spoke of plans
to be in his son's life again.
1639
01:33:24,563 --> 01:33:27,941
DANIEL SR.: I would love to tell him
that I miss him,
1640
01:33:27,941 --> 01:33:30,152
that I love him with all my heart,
1641
01:33:30,152 --> 01:33:32,446
that I'm looking forward to be with him.
1642
01:33:32,446 --> 01:33:34,489
VIKRAM:
And then he told me a bizarre story
1643
01:33:34,489 --> 01:33:36,700
of his connection to Daniel's stepfather,
1644
01:33:36,700 --> 01:33:39,411
the man who had been murdered
years before.
1645
01:33:39,411 --> 01:33:42,748
DANIEL SR.: Uh, in the time
that I was locked up, I met him,
1646
01:33:42,748 --> 01:33:45,125
and when he got released,
I give him a letter, a note,
1647
01:33:45,125 --> 01:33:47,878
for him to give it to my wife and my kids.
1648
01:33:47,878 --> 01:33:52,341
But when he went there,
he got involved with my wife.
1649
01:33:52,341 --> 01:33:55,219
He built a relationship with my kids.
1650
01:33:55,219 --> 01:33:58,430
Real strong, you know, with Danielito
1651
01:33:58,430 --> 01:34:00,182
and Oscar, right?
1652
01:34:00,182 --> 01:34:01,433
He used to play with them.
1653
01:34:01,433 --> 01:34:03,810
You know, he acted real close
to them and everything.
1654
01:34:03,810 --> 01:34:06,522
And they loved him like he was his father.
1655
01:34:07,064 --> 01:34:08,273
Because I wasn't there.
1656
01:34:10,734 --> 01:34:12,152
VIKRAM:
How did that make you feel?
1657
01:34:12,152 --> 01:34:14,238
DANIEL SR.:
Oh, Lord, that hurt me so much.
1658
01:34:14,238 --> 01:34:16,240
But anyway, he got what he deserved.
1659
01:34:16,240 --> 01:34:18,742
VIKRAM: So you're kind of like
a little happy he got killed?
1660
01:34:18,742 --> 01:34:21,036
‐ Yes, I did. I ain't gonna lie.
1661
01:34:21,828 --> 01:34:23,872
I ain't gonna lie,
because I would have done it.
1662
01:34:23,872 --> 01:34:25,123
[laughs]
1663
01:34:25,123 --> 01:34:26,208
You know?
1664
01:34:27,668 --> 01:34:29,837
VIKRAM:
Even though he barely knew him,
1665
01:34:29,837 --> 01:34:33,715
so much of Danny's life
was shaped by this man's actions.
1666
01:34:33,715 --> 01:34:37,636
And for a moment,
I felt a deep sympathy for Danny.
1667
01:34:37,636 --> 01:34:40,681
After all, he was only 23 years old.
1668
01:34:49,398 --> 01:34:52,985
So maybe you could just tell me
about why you're out here
1669
01:34:52,985 --> 01:34:54,987
and left the city and...
1670
01:34:54,987 --> 01:34:58,198
SARA:
I just felt like it was necessary
1671
01:34:58,198 --> 01:35:00,701
and it was something that had to be done.
1672
01:35:00,701 --> 01:35:03,954
Everything that was going on
was too chaotic.
1673
01:35:03,954 --> 01:35:05,998
And it worried me.
1674
01:35:05,998 --> 01:35:08,166
It worried my family, too.
1675
01:35:08,166 --> 01:35:10,085
Like, we didn't feel safe.
1676
01:35:11,879 --> 01:35:16,049
VIKRAM: Do you think that the fact
that his father abandoned him
1677
01:35:16,049 --> 01:35:20,220
has an effect on how he has lived his life
and treats his daughter,
1678
01:35:20,220 --> 01:35:21,763
and how do you see that...?
1679
01:35:21,763 --> 01:35:24,308
‐ I don't... I don't correlate the two.
1680
01:35:24,308 --> 01:35:27,519
It's just, if that's something
you went through as a child,
1681
01:35:27,519 --> 01:35:28,478
you know the feeling.
1682
01:35:28,478 --> 01:35:30,272
You know how it made you feel.
1683
01:35:30,272 --> 01:35:32,858
Why would you want
to put that on your kids?
1684
01:35:32,858 --> 01:35:35,110
Your job is to break the cycle.
1685
01:35:36,153 --> 01:35:38,697
Those little generational curses,
1686
01:35:38,697 --> 01:35:41,366
you should want and do better
for your kids.
1687
01:35:42,075 --> 01:35:44,995
His relationship with my daughter
is nonexistent.
1688
01:35:44,995 --> 01:35:48,999
He was never really
a present father at all, whatsoever.
1689
01:35:48,999 --> 01:35:51,502
He uses my daughter to gain likeness,
1690
01:35:51,502 --> 01:35:52,753
to gain sympathy.
1691
01:35:52,753 --> 01:35:54,671
Like, "Look, I'm a good dad."
1692
01:35:54,671 --> 01:35:56,965
Like, "I'm a good guy. I'm a dad.
1693
01:35:56,965 --> 01:35:59,051
"I have a daughter I care about.
1694
01:35:59,635 --> 01:36:02,262
"I need to come home, Judge, please.
1695
01:36:02,262 --> 01:36:06,058
I have... I wanna see my daughter,
my daughter, my daughter, my daughter."
1696
01:36:06,058 --> 01:36:09,311
He uses my daughter
when it's convenient for him.
1697
01:36:17,444 --> 01:36:19,988
WIZARD:
Me knowing him on a personal level,
1698
01:36:19,988 --> 01:36:24,243
I know the core person that he is,
and he's a really good person.
1699
01:36:24,243 --> 01:36:27,454
He didn't know boundaries,
he didn't know when to stop with things.
1700
01:36:27,454 --> 01:36:29,665
There never will be
another 6ix9ine again.
1701
01:36:30,290 --> 01:36:32,084
REBECCA:
I still cry. It breaks my heart.
1702
01:36:32,084 --> 01:36:33,961
It just breaks my heart.
1703
01:36:33,961 --> 01:36:38,215
I miss him and I feel bad
that he's in there, you know?
1704
01:36:38,215 --> 01:36:40,717
SHADOW:
Danny is the executive agent
1705
01:36:40,717 --> 01:36:42,302
and 6ix9ine is the artist.
1706
01:36:42,302 --> 01:36:45,597
Like I break it into two different people.
Like I know Danny.
1707
01:36:45,597 --> 01:36:47,432
He's a quiet, conscious dude.
1708
01:36:47,432 --> 01:36:50,853
Like he's not gangbang,
shoot‐em‐up, in your face.
1709
01:36:50,853 --> 01:36:53,188
Like he's not like that.
That's not how he was raised.
1710
01:36:53,188 --> 01:36:58,151
Money and fame can really corrupt
a lot of people.
1711
01:36:58,151 --> 01:37:00,404
Not saying it corrupted him,
but I'm saying like,
1712
01:37:00,404 --> 01:37:03,782
that can really be the downfall,
the love of money.
1713
01:37:04,616 --> 01:37:08,120
DJ PVNCH: I think it was
an easy narrative to sell.
1714
01:37:08,120 --> 01:37:11,623
There's this young Spanish boy
who got taken advantage
1715
01:37:11,623 --> 01:37:14,251
by these aggressive, dangerous black men,
1716
01:37:14,251 --> 01:37:16,587
and they allowed him
1717
01:37:16,587 --> 01:37:20,591
to put multiple black men into jail.
1718
01:37:20,591 --> 01:37:22,926
Shotti took 15 years.
1719
01:37:22,926 --> 01:37:26,597
My friend's in jail for 15 years,
and that's fucked up.
1720
01:37:27,764 --> 01:37:31,685
CHANELLE:
He said that my mother's house
was the headquarters for Bloods,
1721
01:37:31,685 --> 01:37:34,104
which that's definitely not the case.
1722
01:37:34,104 --> 01:37:37,566
Or because we might, you know,
if somebody say they're hungry
1723
01:37:37,566 --> 01:37:40,235
and come in and stuff,
you know, she might take them in
1724
01:37:40,235 --> 01:37:41,570
and feed them or whatever.
1725
01:37:41,570 --> 01:37:43,405
But he took advantage.
1726
01:37:44,406 --> 01:37:46,992
‐ He slept on my floor, he ate my food,
1727
01:37:46,992 --> 01:37:50,370
and for the world,
he did not know what pie was.
1728
01:37:50,370 --> 01:37:52,539
He ate Thanksgiving dinner with me.
1729
01:37:52,539 --> 01:37:55,792
He didn't know what pie was,
with his stupid ass.
1730
01:37:56,460 --> 01:37:58,462
BODEGA: I respect men
and what they stand on.
1731
01:37:58,462 --> 01:38:01,757
He loved fame so much
that he put everybody in hell.
1732
01:38:01,757 --> 01:38:04,176
We, we stand on different things.
1733
01:38:04,176 --> 01:38:06,929
And, you know, he's,
he's on a different side now.
1734
01:38:24,488 --> 01:38:26,073
BILLY: To me,
it was just built in his ego and stuff.
1735
01:38:26,073 --> 01:38:27,991
He didn't care about the money to me.
1736
01:38:27,991 --> 01:38:30,536
He didn't care about none of that stuff,
to be honest, me knowing Danny.
1737
01:38:30,536 --> 01:38:32,621
Of course, the money,
it was the perks of everything,
1738
01:38:32,621 --> 01:38:35,123
but the fame is what drove him, you know?
1739
01:38:44,216 --> 01:38:46,760
VIKRAM:
After coronavirus shut down the world,
1740
01:38:46,760 --> 01:38:49,304
prisons became a health crisis.
1741
01:38:49,930 --> 01:38:51,682
Since Danny had asthma,
1742
01:38:51,682 --> 01:38:54,726
the judge allowed him to serve
the remainder of his sentence
1743
01:38:54,726 --> 01:38:56,645
from house arrest.
1744
01:38:56,645 --> 01:39:01,233
So within only a few weeks,
from an undisclosed location,
1745
01:39:01,233 --> 01:39:04,653
Tekashi 6ix9ine was back
on social media.
1746
01:39:07,072 --> 01:39:11,285
He dropped a new music video
and an Instagram Live.
1747
01:39:11,285 --> 01:39:13,287
They both broke records.
1748
01:39:13,287 --> 01:39:14,788
[6ix9ine shouting]
1749
01:39:14,788 --> 01:39:18,208
He was more 6ix9ine than ever before,
more hated than ever...
1750
01:39:18,208 --> 01:39:19,793
‐ I can't be stopped, nigga!
1751
01:39:20,836 --> 01:39:22,880
VIKRAM:
and more popular than ever.
1752
01:39:24,756 --> 01:39:29,011
But having lost all the people
that once supported him,
1753
01:39:29,011 --> 01:39:31,638
he was probably more alone than ever.
1754
01:39:32,222 --> 01:39:35,809
In August 2020,
Tekashi 6ix9ine was set free...
1755
01:39:35,809 --> 01:39:37,311
‐ Nice day outside.
1756
01:39:37,311 --> 01:39:39,062
VIKRAM:
and having refused witness protection,
1757
01:39:39,062 --> 01:39:40,522
returned to the streets,
1758
01:39:40,522 --> 01:39:44,276
surrounded by armed security
at all times.
1759
01:39:44,276 --> 01:39:48,822
I reached out to him to do an interview,
to hear his story in his own words.
1760
01:39:49,990 --> 01:39:54,077
I contacted his team and sent messages
through people still close to him.
1761
01:39:54,620 --> 01:39:56,622
His management got straight to the point.
1762
01:39:58,665 --> 01:40:01,210
I guess I didn't have the clout.
1763
01:40:01,210 --> 01:40:03,128
Maybe it's just as well.
1764
01:40:03,128 --> 01:40:05,797
What would he say
that he hadn't already said in court,
1765
01:40:05,797 --> 01:40:08,258
that he hadn't already said
all over social media?
1766
01:40:09,092 --> 01:40:10,594
Perhaps I was holding out
1767
01:40:10,594 --> 01:40:15,557
in the hopes that I could somehow
help him redeem himself.
1768
01:40:15,557 --> 01:40:19,728
Because in a way, his redemption
could clear my own conscience.
1769
01:40:19,728 --> 01:40:23,690
I'd be able to convince myself
that I'd spent all this time
1770
01:40:23,690 --> 01:40:28,862
telling a cautionary tale about a humble,
ambitious artist named Danny,
1771
01:40:28,862 --> 01:40:31,114
who carried himself out of poverty
1772
01:40:31,114 --> 01:40:34,201
but just got carried away
in the pursuit of clout.
1773
01:40:35,244 --> 01:40:40,040
And not that I'd fallen into the trap
of a troll named Tekashi 6ix9ine
1774
01:40:40,040 --> 01:40:44,503
and given him the attention
that he'd been seeking all along.
1775
01:40:45,212 --> 01:40:48,298
[hip‐hop music playing]
1776
01:40:48,298 --> 01:40:50,300
♪
142636
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