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RAPPER Tekashi 6ix9ine broke an Instagram record after 2 million followers watched his livestream following his release from prison.
But who is he, why was he released from prison and what is his new album Tattle Tales about?
Tekashi 6ix9ine, 24, is an American rapper from New York who first found viral fame by uploading tracks to SoundCloud.
As of this year, his net worth is roughly estimated at nearly £3,230,000.
The rapper, whose name is pronounced “six nine”, first began releasing songs in 2014 and gained mainstream attention for his style of aggressive rap mixed with anime visuals.
He rose to fame in late 2017 with the release of his debut commercial single Gummo which became platinum, but his career has also been blighted by personal and legal issues.
Prior to his music career he sold marijuana to support his family after his father was murdered in 2009.
6ix9ine was originally arrested in 2018 on racketeering charges.
He faced up to 47 years in prison but struck a plea deal with prosecutors to testify against fellow gang members Anthony ‘Harv’ Ellison and Aljermiah ‘Nuke’ Mack.
Following the deal, he was sentenced to just two years in jail, 13 months of which he had already served.
He also pleaded guilty to “the use of a child in a sexual performance” after posting a video in 2015.
He was then released from jail last month over fears he would catch the coronavirus in a New York prison.
He is now serving the remaining four months of his prison sentence at home in incarceration.
During the Instagram Live rant following his release from prison, he claimed he was “the biggest artist in the world” and denied that he was a “snitch” after testifying against members of the gang in court.
He said: “I appreciate every little thing and I did nothing wrong. Yes, I didn’t need all of that beef. I’m the biggest artist in the f***ing world.”
The rapper has a complex criminal history, and is associated with the Nine Trey Gansta Blood gang of New York – labelled a “violent city gang” by the US Attorney Office.
The rapper was born Daniel Hernandez on May 8, 1996, and has one daughter, with his partner Sara.
He was raised in Brooklyn, New York, to a Mexican mother and a Puerto Rican father.
His debut mixtape, Day69, was released on February 23, 2018, and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and No20 in the UK.
The rapper has notched up quite a few hits his highest-ranked hit, Fefe, reaching No17 in the UK charts.
The hits include (in order of popularity):
Since his release from jail, Tekashi has been releasing music, including TattleTales and is the second studio album by the American rapper.
The rapper confirmed the drop in an Instagram video shot in Chicago last month.
He wrote: “We just landed in Chicago and all that,” he said. “Yo, I got a huge announcement for y’all. I’m dropping the album Sept. 4. TattleTales, the album. I think the killers, the hitters, is over here. Try to keep it down … Let’s pay respect to all the soldiers.”
The album was released on September 4, 2020, and is the follow-up to Dummy Boy, which was released shortly after 6ix9ine was arrested in November 2018.
The 13-track project includes songs “GOOBA,” “PUNANI,” “YAYA,” and “TROLLZ” featuring Nicki Minaj, Smilez, Leftside, Lik AK, and Akon.
The album’s first track is appropriately named “LOCKED UP 2″ and another song on the album “TUTU” features a music video of the rapper and his signature rainbow style cavorting around a theme park with Blac Chyna and a flamethrower.
The album’s title TattleTales is a cheeky reference to how the rapper famously testified against members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
In May he dropped a brand new video for his song ‘GOOBA’.
The video features the rapper showing off his huge shark necklace as well as his ankle monitor.
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