Meet 6ix9ine.From Soundcloud to International fame and controversy.
Daniel Hernandez a.k.a 6ix9ine is an Internet sensation and a rapstar from the unique perspective of young rap music listeners.
Bushwick, Brooklyn rapper 6ix9ine (a.k.a. Teka$hi 6ix9ine) is one of the most controversial artists out right now, but that hasn’t stopped the rise of his breakout hit “Gummo.” Since its release on October 8, the song has earned over 21 million YouTube views and climbed into the Top 20 of Genius' Top Songs chart, earning over 250,000 pageviews. Its success has been helped along by a high-profile placement on Spotify’s Rap Caviar playlist, and the track has earned over 1.5 million streams on the platform.
Aside from his music, 6ix9ine is also known for being a meme. He sports long, rainbow-colored hair and a matching grill, and has the number 69 tattooed on his body dozens of times. His garish appearance has made him an internet staple. Most famously, a picture of him originally posted on his Instagram went viral on Reddit and Twitter:
It’s worth noting that he looked very different just two years ago in the video for “ScumLife,” a song that didn’t earn nearly the same kind of attention “Gummo” is receiving. “Gummo” gets its title from the 1997 dystopian film by cult favorite Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers, Kids). The movie depicts the destructive everyday lives of a group of locals in Xenia, Ohio, a town with a long history of deadly tornadoes. 6ix9ine’s song seems to draw parallels between the theme of the film and the day-to-day lives of the poor residents of his native Brooklyn:
Although “Gummo” is his biggest hit, 6ix9ine is also known for his work with Canton, Ohio rapper Trippie Redd. He most notably appears on Trippie’s A Love Letter To You track “Poles 1469.” “Gummo” is produced by Pi'erre Bourne, who first rose to fame as the man behind the boards on Playboi Carti’s breakout hit “Magnolia.” However, the Atlanta-based producer has distanced himself from the song, saying he made the beat for Trippie, who then provided it to 6ix9ine:
Trippie has also denounced 6ix9ine and said that they won’t be working together in the future. Both he and Pi'erreBourne have moved away from the Brooklyn rapper in light of disturbing charges leveled against him by a former associate.
This past summer, several months before the release of “Gummo,” Brooklyn rapper ZillaKami posted a series of pictures accusing 6ix9ine (real name Daniel Hernandez) of sexual misconduct with a minor. These include a photo of him grabbing the breasts of a woman ZillaKami claims is 13, as well as a screencap of criminal charges against him, which Genius has confirmed that Hernandez pled guilty to. The charges consist of one felony count of Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance. Hernandez was 18 years old at the time, while the victim was a minor.
6ix9ine discussed his legal history on the NoJumper podcast. At the time he denied that these charges were his but noted that he served jail time as a minor after being arrested for selling heroin and assaulting the owner of a bodega.
A rep for Hernandez also denied the charges in a statement to MassAppeal back in August, saying, “he doesn’t even like to say the R word [rape], we don’t play around with that shit. As someone with a 3-year-old daughter we take this very seriously… Their whole thing was to try to slander his name and make him look terrible.” Despite the denial, 6ix9ine has made a series of disturbing comments about the allegations on social media, most notably referring to himself as a “happy rapist” in a Snapchat video. His fallout with Trippie Redd has worsened recently, too, after associates of 6ix9ine allegedly jumped Trippie at his hotel in New York City last week.
6ix9ine’s success comes in the wake of XXXTENTACION, who scored significant hits and a No. 2 album on the Billboard 200 chart this year while facing charges for allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend. Florida rapper Kodak Black is also currently facing sexual assault charges in Florence County, South Carolina. Meanwhile, Texas MC Tay-K is currently incarcerated facing two capital murder charges. None of their cases have been resolved, but all stand as examples of a continued acceptance of physical and sexual violence (particularly against women) in hip-hop and broader music culture.
These topics have been grabbing headlines elsewhere, too, with the ever-worsening Hollywood sexual assault and harassment scandals around Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., and others. However, while those revelations have resulted in job losses and vocal outrage, the music industry hasn’t acted in quite the same way. Atlantic Records has given no indication that it plans to drop Kodak Black or stop distributing his music, and XXX recently signed a reported multi-million dollar distribution deal with Capitol Records subsidiary Caroline before his trial even began. This issue goes far beyond the entertainment industry, too—Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct with several teenage girls but refuses to step out of the race.
Despite the increased awareness of and publicity surrounding sexual misconduct in American culture, the popularity of “Gummo” continues to grow. The song earned just 242 pageviews on Genius the day of its release, but have since risen to more than 16,207 per day. It also seems likely to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the coming weeks.
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