By: Aiden Holczer

“Your honor, the government calls Daniel Hernandez”. At that moment, Brooklyn native and rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, was about to become the most famous rat in recent memory. Ratting, snitching, complying, it has many names. Personally, I believe there are very few things worse than a rat. Let me set one thing straight, there is nothing wrong with a law-abiding citizen that is not involved in any criminal organization testifying about what they saw. The problem arises when someone inside that organization, or has claimed to or actually has lived that life, then goes ahead and tells all when facing punishment.

Tekashi has done exactly that. In his music and in interviews, you will find numerous instances of him referencing his gang affiliation and street lifestyle. For example, on his most famous interview, an interview with the Breakfast Club (one of the most famous syndicated radio shows in the country) he said this:“Listen, I’m gangsta and I know I’m gangsta, I tell everybody all of the time to test my gangsta.”. In the words of Twitter, “this didn’t age well”

It’s safe to say that Tekashi 6ix9ine is not a law-abiding citizen. His first offense was committed as a minor when he was arrested for selling heroin. Another one of his more famous scandals came back in 2015, when he was arrested and pled guilty to “the use of a minor in a sexual performance”. He was given probation based on the stipulation that he would get his GED. In May of last year, he was arrested for driving with a suspended license, and in July, he was taken into custody for allegedly choking a 16-year-old that was recording the rapper. His most recent offense, or should I say, offenses—and cause for his current arrest and subsequent testimony involves: conspiracy with others to commit racketeering, discharging a firearm while committing a crime, committing a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm, and committing a crime in the aid of racketeering. 

To me this sounds an awful lot like the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO. RICO was created in 1968, but did not come into prominence until the mid 80s, when Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani began his crusade against organized crime in America. Specifically against La Cosa Nostra, more commonly known as the Italian mafia. Sparing you all the lawyer talk, what RICO does is states that if the prosecution can prove an organization is set up for the purpose of committing organized crime, then all members can be charged as a whole. The fact that Tekashi 6ix9ine has already stated in his testimony that he is a member (or should I say former member) of the Nine Trey Bloods, does not help his case whatsoever.

Instead of getting into the nitty-gritty details of his charges and court procedures in general, I want to talk about what this decision to testify means for Tekashi 6ix9ine. Put simply: he’s a dead man walking. The deal which Tekashi’s lawyer cut is certainly impressive. Tekashi was facing a MINIMUM of 47 years in prison, and now he could be looking at getting out as early as 2020. After that I give him 6-8 months to live. The information he gave out in his testimony is beyond snitching and into the saving-your-skin category. He willingly gave: the name of the Nine Trey Bloods godfather and the people below him, the street and prison roster (a list of Nine Trey members in custody and those that are on the street), named fellow rapper Trippie Redd as a member of the Five Nine Brims (another gang), and admitted to putting out a hit on legendary Chicago rapper, Chief Keef. 

You must be legally insane to believe that the Nine Trey Bloods won’t go looking for revenge. Yes, we aren’t in the 1960s and 70s, back when the mafia carried out hits in broad daylight as acts of revenge. When the mafia had politicians in their pockets and where every building being constructed in New York City paid a tax to the mob. But no remotely sane organized crime syndicate is going to let snitching of this level go unanswered. 

Like I said before, I believe there are very few things that are worse than a rat. One of those things is someone that will put their family in danger due to their own cowardice. That fits Tekashi 6ix9ine perfectly; instead of staying quiet and serving his original sentence, he chose to do whatever it took to save his own neck. He clearly didn’t think of his family, which consists of his 3-year old daughter and his girlfriend. He has put both of them in harm’s way. Once he gets out of prison, he will most likely go into witness protection in an effort to stay alive as long as possible. But then again, it’s pretty hard to put a guy with the letter 69 tattooed over his body 69 times into witness protection. His family will either have to go into witness protection with him or live separately with little to no communication with him. I wouldn’t put it past the Nine Trey Bloods or other criminal organizations affected by Tekashi’s testimony to consider his family as targets that they can use to hurt or get to Tekashi.

In conclusion, Daniel Hernandez is a coward posing as a gangster. A man that is putting his family in harm’s way due to his fear of prison. A model of how NOT to manage a successful rap career. And many other things, all of which I can’t say on a school newspaper.To quote one of my favorite Hip-Hop mantras: “if you aint bout it, don’t rap bout it.”