Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Truth - full transcript
Finally arrested, Tekashi faces a choice that lands him and others in jail. Upon release, his career burns bright but quickly fades. Much like our former president and so many other supervillains of our time, his toxic persona persists.
[Tekashi] It's 5:00 a.m.
We're at a red light.
And a car just smashes
the whole back of the car.
[metal and glass crunch]
It's like a scene--
a opening little movie scene.
Straight outta that.
-[person] Stop, stop, stop.
-[person] Wait, wait, wait.
[Tekashi] My whole heart
just went to my stomach.
[Tekashi] Is this the place
where I die?
[Tekashi] I'm just talking
to God and I'm just like,
you know, do I really wanna
lose my life right now?
Is jewelry, is money,
is all that shit
more important
than seeing Saraiyah,
my daughter,
graduate from kindergarten?
So I said, "I got some jewelry
in the crib.
Don't hurt my daughter."
dramatic music
[Sara] My phone rings.
I pick up.
He goes,
"Sara, where's the baby?"
I found it odd.
Hold on.
And I'm like,
"Yo, where are you, Danny?
What's going on?"
And he picks up the phone,
and it was like,
"They're gonna kill me."
He has, like, a little
gash on his eye.
He was bleeding and had a knot.
So I'm looking at it;
I start crying.
I'm like, "Yo, what the fuck
is going on?
Who's gonna kill you?"
And he goes,
"Don't ask me no questions.
Please do everything
I tell you."
I'm like, "What's going on?"
He goes, "I need you
to go downstairs
and get my jewelry,
it's on the table,
and wrap it the way I wrap it
and put it in the baby's bag."
He goes, "I'm coming
around the block right now."
A different car
from the driver's car pulls up
and someone throws
a hoodie on,
comes out the car,
and is standing
in front of me.
And he goes,
"Sara, give him the bag."
We gave the bag,
the guy got in the car,
and the car burnt rubber.
[person] All right,
get in the car.
Get in the car.
We're gonna shoot you.
[person] You have a gun
in the car?
[person] Get in the car.
[Tekashi] I just started
talking to God.
I'm like, "You're the only one
that can get me out of this."
By that time, there was
a argument that happened.
I managed to throw myself out.
But there was
incoming traffic.
Tonight, police are on the hunt
for the two men responsible
for a robbery and kidnapping
at gunpoint in Brooklyn.
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was
kidnapped and attacked
in Bed-Stuy Sunday morning.
He was taken
to Kings County Hospital
for observation.
I push people to be civilian
in this world.
Civilian is a safe world.
Publicly, what could we say?
What happened?
Are you all right?
You know, it was a inside job.
[DJ Pvnch] But if you sign up
for this gang shit,
you signed up
for certain type of replies
and certain type of behaviors.
If you a gang member
and you get approached
on some gang time
and some action,
you gotta swell up.
It's time to be the guy
that you said you were.
dramatic music
[horn blares]
Boy.
We outside.
Good, strong, healthy.
No matter how much fame I got,
no matter how much...
...publicity is involved
with my name,
everybody know me for being
in the heart of Brooklyn,
staying in the heart
of Brooklyn.
I'm like, is that
more important than family?
Is that more important
than life?
Is that more important
than love, man?
And tomorrow.
Just having another...
-Another chance.
-Yeah.
The first time Tekashi felt
like he was not invincible
was the day he got kidnapped.
That's the first time
that he was like, "Oh, shit."
dramatic music
[Sara] Harv was the muscle.
And he felt like he wasn't
being appreciated
for his loyalty and his work.
It's hard
trying to protect someone
who makes all these problems.
[DJ Pvnch] Tekashi's word
in the video kinda shows
that Harv wanted bread.
'Cause in that video,
I see someone who's like,
"Yo, bro,
why you ain't call me?
You know you owe me."
Tekashi was living out his raps
on a very specific environment,
surrounded by a lot
of protection,
a lot of muscle.
...what I'm talking about.
And that bitch-ass nigga.
[DJ Pvnch] That was Harv.
[Seqo] Yeah, he was there
from the beginning.
He stood up for Danny
millions of times.
And now when it's time
to pay for it or whatever,
nigga just started
getting greedy.
[Billy] He was a really stingy
person since I met him.
Harv, I'm pretty sure
he didn't show it that much,
but he felt crushed.
You know, "You're not paying me
for all this stuff."
The fighting at the airport.
He was the one
at the Minnesota stuff.
[shouting]
[Ron] Harv really thought
it was the time to strike
because of where Tekashi was
at the time.
He was at top of his game
financially.
And they really thought
they could extort him
for a lot more than, you know,
what really went down.
[reporter] The two suspects
took the jewelry.
So far,
no arrests have been made
and the investigation
is ongoing.
Yo, I got
a quick little message
for all my fans,
for people who are not my fans,
and for people out there.
I went from broke
to being fucking rich as fuck
in the matter of a year.
And all of this money,
all of this money,
can't buy happiness.
[DJ Pvnch]
After the kidnapping,
Tekashi wasn't feeling it.
But then Shotti was there
to pep talk him
right back into it.
How do you look at everything?
You know, they wanna know
your reaction,
like, with Six the other night.
How do you look at it?
[Billy] I regret not analyzing
the situation better,
paying more attention
to stuff, you know.
[cheering and shouting]
He was giving more stuff
to Shotti.
To him, he wanted to find
the biggest personal--
the heads of this stuff
and give them bread.
They'll take care of everybody
so he ain't gotta deal
with everybody,
and, I mean, that's, like,
his mentality.
You going live?
[Ron] Shotti became the power.
He made himself the "manager."
But Shotti didn't really have
to worry much
because he didn't really have
to answer to many people
'cause he was on top
of the food chain already.
[DJ Pvnch]
Shotti basically made sure
that he was in the position
that he needed to be.
Tekashi didn't trust anyone.
He wanted to cut
everybody off.
So when the opportunity came,
it was just Shotti
and Tekashi,
everything changed.
brash hip-hop
What we doing?
Motherfucking time.
Made in America, niggas.
2018, all that's
Treyway, right?
We run that world, right?
At that point,
everybody was split.
6ix9ine started getting
paranoid.
Then Shotti put
every single piece
of that kid back together.
"Don't worry about that.
That happens, bro.
That happens.
Don't worry about nothing.
Don't worry about nothing.
We good."
He felt like it was
fourth quarter, man.
[Tekashi] Hey, Shotti,
come here, Blood.
Come here, Blood.
Philly, this is
fucking Treyway.
-Make some noise!
-[cheers and applause]
Let's pop it.
Yo, Shotti.
I want you to give me
that strong "Treyway."
You hear me?
On the count of three.
One, two, three.
Treyway!
[Shotti] That's my word,
get up in they face
Talk your shit,
let your nuts drag, nigga
These niggas just running
out they fucking mouth, man
Follow protocol, Blood
Get in they fucking chest,
nigga
[Tekashi] Scum Gang!
[Shotti] Treyway!
These niggas
bleed different
We don't bleed, nigga
We make niggas bleed,
Blood
Treyway
[person] Dope shit.
[DJ Pvnch]
The fuck I'm talking about!
[person] Dope shit.
We just broke Made in America
in 90 motherfucking pieces.
Say that again?
We broke Made in America
into 90 fucking pieces, man.
What the fuck he just said.
Fuck rolling with you niggas.
We the M.O.B.!
[DJ Pvnch] After Jay-Z's
festival, Made in America,
that's really where
the arrogance was set in
really strong at that point.
Try to stop us.
I'm not fucking stopping.
My energy's too crazy, man.
I break the rules.
You know what I'm saying?
I break through all that shit.
Through pedophile comments,
all that shit.
All that negativity.
[scoffs]
My energy is too crazy.
[Shotti] Tell 'em who the fuck
they're talking to.
[Tekashi] Treyway.
We just spent $50,000
in ten minutes
on the fucking walk in.
This is what the fuck it costs
to be at the fucking top
of the fucking game, yo.
Show diamond.
Oh.
[50 Cent] So don't come here
talking about your
feelings.
The fucking queen herself.
-The only queen.
-That's right.
Every single day,
something unbelievable
was happening.
Someone humongous was
retweeting him.
I love 6ix9ine.
Hold on, hold on, hold on,
hold on, hold on.
-You like 6ix9ine?
-Yeah. I love his energy.
King of New York is back
in New York.
I see this face.
The fuck is up?
-[indistinct]
-Fucking what?
The fucking M.O.B. is Treyway.
You know the vibes, man.
This is the CEO of one of
the hottest labels in the game.
Everywhere I go,
I hear Treyway.
I'm listening to Nicki,
I hear Treyway.
[DJ Pvnch]
Shotti really understood
at a point, it was like,
"Yo, if I get this right,
this immediately correlates
with success and with money.
Before 6ix9ine,
I never had a social media.
-Never?
-Never.
Never had a Myspace,
a Facebook.
None of that shit, man.
You were in the streets
for real.
When you ain't got social,
you--
Literally, in February,
my lawyer was like,
"Yo, if you really want
this label shit,
if you really focus
on this shit,
you gotta get on social media."
Damo Prende, motherfuckers
This is
that Black Wall Street
That bad-ass motivation
That Nine Trey
gangster shit, baby
This is Treyway
[interviewer] But as the CEO,
like, a lot of times,
you have to be accountable
for the things you say.
So when you see somebody
like, you know--
We're not in that era.
We're not--there is nobody
held accountable
for what they say any longer.
There's nobody held accountable
from our president,
commander in chief,
to the smallest person
on the streets.
There's nobody held accountable
for what they say any longer.
-It's the internet, bro.
-Right.
Like, you get what I'm saying?
-Yeah.
-It's the internet.
Like, how seriously
can you take it?
Cameraman, you on me?
[person]
That's how you bumming, Shotti?
It's fucking Treyway, nigga.
What the fuck else I'm doing,
nigga?
Agent Treyway.
It's Mr. Treyway
out this bitch.
They gave me a fucking 2018
motherfucking Aventador
out this bitch.
What the fuck y'all niggas
think of this, man?
Y'all niggas know
the fucking hit, man.
[engine revving]
dramatic music
[Ron] Real gangsters move
in silence.
But that crew
we're talking about
in the era
we're talking about,
these individuals aren't afraid
to not move in silence.
They're not afraid if you know
who they are
'cause they feel
they're untouchable.
Come on, all you niggas
that's mad at Tekashi,
y'all can suck some dicks.
My man is selling.
We winning.
Ain't nobody touching him.
Y'all can suck some more dicks.
Y'all faggot-ass niggas.
It's fucking Treyway!
[Ron] You know,
law enforcement's watching
social media every day.
And, you know, they're
basically building cases
because of social media posts
that are going on
with these gangs.
Fuck Chief Keef,
fuck Lil Reese,
fuck all them niggas.
Fuck y'all niggas
talking about, nigga?
-This fucking Treyway, nigga.
-Treyway!
I bet y'all next pull up
in New Jersey now, nigga.
Judge the name of my city,
but my brothers is there,
you heard me?
You know what I'm saying?
New York shit, man.
This is fucking Treyway, man.
[Ron] Got a kid running around
with rainbow hair
doing these things,
so it's not like, you know,
there's gonna be many questions
on who was it.
So these individuals don't care
about that, you know?
They really don't care
about if they know it's me.
"I hope they know it's me."
They're showing weapons.
They're showing
things they're doing.
They're so built up
on this clout,
they're so built up on,
"Oh, look who I am,"
they really don't think about,
you know, the aftereffects
of this incident.
What if?
You got millions of viewers,
millions of followers,
you're getting the likes,
you're getting
everything you want
that you think is
instant gratification,
but unfortunately,
it's the demise
of a lot of these groups,
social media.
You know I won't ever let them
take you from me again.
I let my guard down,
I'm not gonna lie,
but I won't ever let them
take you from me again.
[Giancarlo] Every supervillain
has a moment of reflection.
A point where life
fucks them up so badly
that they're faced
with a decision.
A chance to walk away
from it all.
But they never go that route.
Their ego simply won't
let them.
When supervillains hit
rock bottom,
they rebuild themselves
to be even bigger than before.
And when that ego takes over,
they start to lose their mind.
Paranoia and dark thoughts
creep in.
And it all starts to come
spiraling down.
[reporter] Rapper Tekashi
6ix9ine's Brooklyn home
was raided by federal agents.
[engine revving]
The rapper's also said
to be touring overseas
and wasn't home at the time.
A report says agents found
a gun during that search.
[Tekashi]
The feds raided the crib
and find that assault rifle.
It wasn't mine.
So, like,
it was Shotti's pistol
that ended up in my apartment.
I sit down with Shotti
and say, "Yo, they were
looking for you.
Where were you?"
Like, the whole time,
I'm thinking,
"How did that pistol end up
in that house?"
I'm thinking
the kidnap situation too.
I'm thinking, "Somebody's
trying to set me up."
He fooled me,
you know what I'm saying?
Completely fooled me.
My trust been broken.
I went into a rage.
When I met Shotti,
he was sleeping on the rug.
I said, "Hey, you wanna come
with me to my girlfriend,
which we have a kid together,
her house?
We're having Thanksgiving
dinner with the family."
I brought him
into the household.
And everything destructed.
-What y'all on?
-They on my shit.
What y'all on?
What y'all on?
[Tekashi] It's funny, right?
So I was seeing
on Instagram a lot,
like, "Yo,
they're sleeping together.
Fucking.
They're sleeping together."
Something in my heart
just told me,
"Go through his phone."
[Shotti] Yo, it's Treyway.
He lowkey wanna be lit like me.
That's what it is.
[Tekashi]
I seen all the messages.
"Are you with Danny?
Call me after your jog.
Call me.
Why you hung up on me?"
At that point,
it's solidified.
It's guaranteed.
At the end of the day,
that's the mother to my child.
[shutter clicking]
So I brought this stupid bitch
to Dubai.
[Sara] He was being tormented
in his own mind.
He had the craziest look
in his eyes.
He looked like
he was possessed.
I don't know what to call it
at this point
'cause this is like--
I never seen anybody
act this way.
We were in the hotel room.
I thought he was sleeping.
He turned over real quick,
awake, and was like,
"Let me see your phone."
I'm like, "Why?"
He was like, "All right,
I wanna ask you a question.
Why are you so close
to Shotti?"
He was like, "You like him?"
I'm like, "No.
What would make you think that?
Like, why would you
even ask that?"
And he just went
and he started punching me.
He was like, "Don't lie to me.
I feel it.
I know you like him."
I'm like...
type of insecure shit
is going on right now?
[shutter clicks]
This is not the first time
that he started putting
his hands on me.
Has monster ways.
And I was scared
to tell him, like,
"I'm close to him 'cause he's
the only one that stops
you from beating my ass,
and when he's around,
you don't beat my ass."
And he went ahead
and he punched me.
I had just gotten my hair done
the day before that,
so I had these tracks,
and they had, like--
they're micro links,
so they had,
like these little pieces
of metal that hold the hair.
So when he punched me
in my head,
it stabbed, like, into my--
like, my head, my scalp,
and my scalp was leaking.
I was leaking a lot of blood.
He kept on hitting me.
He threw a chair on me.
He punched me in my face.
He kicked me in my face,
kicked me in my back.
He put the pillows over my face
so I wouldn't scream.
He stood doing that
for, like, two hours.
And I thought I was gonna die
in that hotel room.
The next morning, when I went
into the bathroom
and finally saw my face,
I felt so empty.
I felt so disgusted.
With him.
With myself.
I was embarrassed.
And he walked in the bathroom
and he said,
"Fix your face."
Looking at my eye.
I used the hotel phone
to call the security
'cause he was
literally staying,
like, two rooms next to us.
And he looked at me,
and I just fell into his arms
and I started crying.
I said, "I don't care
how you do it.
I gotta leave."
solemn music
As I'm leaving
at this airport,
I told the security
"thank you" or whatever.
He looked at me.
Looked like he wanted to cry.
He gave me a hug
and told me to love myself.
And gave me a big bear hug,
rubbed my back,
and he was like,
"Love yourself more."
And he walked out.
I spent so many years...
...being after him
and loving him the way I did,
I forgot what it was
to love myself.
I forgot how to do that.
So it hurt hearing someone else
point that out.
tense music
[Ron] The feds have been
building this case for years.
They've had
social media posts;
they have guns they found
in his apartment.
You know,
they were getting closer.
And by the way, you know,
the car they used?
That car was bugged.
And that's how they got
that kidnapping footage,
which was a big part of it.
They hear
the drug transactions.
They hear the conversations
about homicides.
Be it that violent act
that happened at the W
in Manhattan
to what happened
at the Barclay
to what happened when he went
to the West Coast
at the airport,
they start piecing
all this stuff together,
and once they piece
all this stuff together
and they know that they have
charges that are gonna stick,
and folks, the feds--
99.9% of the time,
the feds win.
You know, you don't beat
a federal charge.
[distant siren wailing]
[DJ Pvnch] When we was
in Dubai, I had left.
I left early
'cause I just wasn't liking
how everybody was moving,
and straight up and down,
I'm confused at why it's going
so crazy,
why this went so left.
It just feel, like, mad spooky.
If you've been in the street
long enough,
you like, "Yo, this shit feel
off balance?"
What's up, everybody?
So I'm letting everybody know
that I canceled my whole tour.
The American dates is
not happening.
It's not going down.
I fired everybody in my team.
I got no manager,
I got no booking agent,
no PR, no publicist--
I don't got nobody on my team.
It's just me.
I fired everybody.
I don't give a fuck
who you used to see me with.
They no longer around.
It's a fucking dub.
November 23rd, the album drop.
"Everybody fired.
I'm cutting off everybody."
Firing everybody.
I'm calling him.
He not answering his phone.
Calling him all day.
Finally answers
at the end of the night.
"Yo, what's up?"
"Like, what you mean,
'what's up?'
What's all this fire shit
you talking about?"
"Oh, not you, big bro."
I'm like, "What?"
He be like, "Don't worry.
We're gonna go to
Breakfast Club next week.
We're gonna clear
everything up."
I'm like, "Yo, bro, you gotta
clear all of this shit up.
Shit's fucked up."
[DJ Envy] Morning, everybody.
It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee,
Charlamagne Tha God.
We got a special guest
in the building!
-[Charlamagne] He's back.
-[DJ Envy] He's back.
-Tekashi 6ix9ine.
-[Charlamagne] He's back.
King of New York.
You know that.
[DJ Pvnch]
I wake up the next day.
My boy hits me and goes,
"Why you not up
at the radio station?"
I go, "We gon' be up there
next week.
I'ma be up there.
I just spoke to him yesterday."
He said,
"He's coming back again?"
I said, "Wait, what are you
talking about?"
He said, "Takashi's at
Breakfast Club right now."
[Charlamagne] Why did you
fire everybody, 6ix9ine?
[DJ Envy] Yeah, we seen
the video yesterday.
Yeah.
[Angela] And you canceled
your whole tour?
Yeah, I canceled everything.
Like, there's so much money
out here to be stealing.
Like, you know what I'm saying?
So people were stealing
from you.
[DJ Envy] We figured
people was stealing.
That that was the reason.
Yeah, like, a lot of people
think I'm on cocaine.
Like, people think,
like, I'm on cocaine now,
bugging, and, like, they like,
"Yo, you just paranoid."
Like...
but I know, like,
you know what I'm saying?
[DJ Pvnch]
Went on Breakfast Club,
he did a lot
of the victim positioning.
I'm listening to the interview
like a stranger, I feel like.
Like, "Yo, they stole from me.
They took $2 million."
I'm like, "Yo, Shotti can't
steal $2 million from him."
Every Blood is not your blood.
Let's just put that
like that, right?
[Charlamagne] Correct.
There's a difference
between being a gang member...
...and just being
a dirty nigga.
-[laughs]
-[DJ Envy] Mm-hmm.
-You feel me?
-[DJ Envy] Mm-hmm.
[Tekashi]
And 80% of this industry
is dirty niggas.
90.
I never had a manager.
[DJ Envy] People used to think
that all the guys
that were around you stole--
-[Charlamagne] Treyway, Trey.
-And taking money from you.
People thought that.
I feel like when you try
to help somebody,
there's so much you can help
before they just bite
your hand.
[DJ Envy]
But now how do you move?
Because they know
everything about you.
They were around you so long...
[Charlamagne] You said
the people that can get to you
are the people that were close
to you.
So nobody next to me.
But you got rid of all of them,
but they know
how to get to you though.
Yeah, like, my mom don't even
got my phone number.
[DJ Pvnch]
It's like he really wanted
to kinda claim back
his normality
and really shy away
from the gang.
He wasn't talking aggressive.
He was openly with the glasses
and pushing it up,
doing all of these,
"I'm human, I'm nerdy,
I'm a regular kid."
He created this new narrative,
and I looked at it and go,
"Why did he do that?"
I never understood.
Treyway is nothing without me.
I don't wanna jack Treyway
no more.
Did you fire Trey too?
Everybody is gone.
Get out of my life.
Get outta here.
-[Angela] Everybody?
-Everybody.
But he left that interview
being like,
"Yo, this kid's a victim
and everyone's taking advantage
of him."
And I remember getting a call
jokingly from one of my friends
going, "Yo, bro, why y'all
doing that to that kid, man?
What's up?"
And I'm like--
and it hit me.
He wanted to switch
the narrative.
I got federal agents
sitting in front of my house.
One, two, three, four, five,
six cars.
It's beyond us.
[DJ Pvnch]
And in that interview,
we learned very fa--you know,
that that's when he got
approached by the feds.
One thing I fear in life.
No, two things.
I'm not gonna--I fear God
and I fear the FBI.
-[Charlamagne] The feds.
-[laughter]
Only two things I'm scared of
in life.
Mm-hmm?
God first and the FBI.
dramatic music
If her shit go to 50--
if this shit go to 50...
[DJ Pvnch] Then he goes on Live
with some random girl
and then goes,
"Yo, fuck Treyway."
Treyway.
It's like, fuck Treyway.
Treyway can suck my dick.
And I go...
"Why would you say that?
Like, I would've rather
you say, 'Fuck Shotti.'
When you say, 'Fuck Treyway,'
you just dissed 1,000 people."
Yo, we got fucking big Bloods
in this bitch, what?
The Zombies'
"Time of the Season" playing
This motherfucker, man.
It's Treyway.
[Ron] You know,
the Nine Trey gangsters,
it's the same concept
as the mafia,
even from the mafia days.
The hierarchy was
very, very big.
If you were the godfather
of a sect,
whatever's being made
on the streets,
you're getting a piece of that.
And underneath the godfathers,
think of the military concept.
I mean, you had generals.
You know, underneath
the generals, you had captains.
Underneath the captains,
you had your soldiers.
From the generals on down
to the captains
down to the soldiers.
It's the time
of the season
For loving
[Ron] The feds, they'll always
get the street soldiers,
but back in the day,
they never really could get
to the people
above the street soldiers
'cause they were
well insulated.
For the feds, the only way
to dismantle these groups
is through
the Federal RICO Act.
Well, RICO breaks down to
Racketeer and Influenced
Corrupt Organizations.
Because what they did was,
they looked at these
criminal organizations
and found out they were
exactly that, organizations.
[reporter] The jailhouse gates
rumble down
as a prison van carries
John Gotti
to a future behind bars.
Teflon is gone.
The don is covered with Velcro,
and every charge
in the indictment stuck.
[Ron] Once the New York City
Police Department got educated
on how the RICO law
could be used,
they took this
back to the streets
and started applying this
to every organization
they thought was
a criminal enterprise.
This is a great day
for law enforcement,
but this is a bad day,
probably the worst,
for the mafia.
[Ron] With Tekashi,
just by hanging out
with a Blood member,
calling yourself
a Blood member,
if you are under
a RICO investigation,
they're not only looking
at you.
They connected you
to this group,
they're here to dismantle
this group,
and you're going down
with this group.
[Shotti] Blood, he's a--
Blood, the nigga gotta be
on drugs, homey.
Nigga said, "Fuck Treyway."
He said, "Fuck Treyway,
bum-ass niggas,
dirty-ass niggas."
This kid is crazy, homey.
dramatic music
[agent]
In the last 24 hours,
Danny Hernandez has been taken
into custody,
as well as a number
of other individuals.
We are working closely
with the southern district,
our partners in
Homeland Security, and the ATF,
and we'll have more to say
in the days to come.
[reporter] 6ix9ine was one
of five people arrested
by the feds on Sunday night
on RICO and firearms charges.
[reporter] Rapper Tekashi
6ix9ine was denied bail.
The judge ruled
the Brooklyn native was
a likely danger
to the community.
[reporter] According to
the federal indictment,
6ix9ine and crew conspired
to commit a slew of crimes,
including drug deals,
armed robberies,
and shootings as part
of the Nine Trey Bloods.
[reporter]
These reportedly show
a gunpoint robbery
he allegedly set up.
[reporter] Now, at least two
of the charges he's facing
could face up to a maximum
penalty of life in prison.
I'm a former state
and federal prosecutor.
I worked in the Manhattan
district attorney's office
and the United State's
attorney's office
for the eastern district
of New York in Brooklyn,
where I was in the organized
crime and gang unit.
It's hard for me to speak
to what an individual
is thinking
when they continue to commit
crimes on tape.
[gunfire]
Standing alone, a shooting
at Barclays may mean nothing,
but when you look back
in context,
if there's a pattern
of criminal activity
and a group that was
committing those crimes,
that's where the racketeering
statute may come in.
That permits mandatory
minimum sentences
and prosecution of individuals
together in a group
who are committing
crimes together.
[DJ Pvnch]
I remember getting that call,
"Yo, they just
arrested Crippy."
"Oh, shit,
they just got Shotti."
"Oh, they just took Tekashi,"
and I was, like,
looking out my window.
'Cause no one still knew
why anybody was arrested.
[siren wailing]
[Ron] There were dozens
of crimes involved
in this case.
Without the RICO statute,
each defendant would
only have to answer
for those exact crimes
that he himself committed.
That's why they use
these cases,
as many defendants can be
found guilty.
As long as they assisted
or order something,
put you right under
the same umbrella.
So instead of arresting
three individuals
for the shooting in Brooklyn,
now they're connecting
all the dots.
Those soldiers shot those guns
on the demand of the higher-up
who gave them the order
to conduct this business.
[Adam 22] When the indictments
come down and you actually see
all the stuff that they were
charging him with,
it's like, "Wait, so you
really did order somebody
to shoot at Chief Keef,
and there's evidence of it?"
When the last time you shot?
What was the last person
you shot?
I know you, Blood.
It's bad enough to do it
on the phone.
You did it on camera.
And then put the video
on the internet.
I mean, there's an extent
to which I just never thought
that anybody could be
that stupid.
I told him, like,
"You can't do that."
I've been through this before
in jail.
It's different if you
in a gun-carrying state.
If you showing that
and you're in New York,
I ain't that silly.
I ain't silly like that,
you know what I'm saying?
I didn't think about having
too much fun with this.
I was all business.
Is it that serious?
Oh, it's more
than that serious.
I mean, this is lights out.
He's facing life in prison.
The federal prosecutors,
the FBI,
the U.S. attorney's office,
especially the southern
district of New York,
I mean,
they don't play around.
You know, this is not NYPD.
This is Department of Justice.
When they come after you,
it's a major problem.
It's a major case.
[metal detector beeps]
[Brendan]
It wasn't until his court date
that you realized,
like, what actually happened
over and over again.
Innocent people were in danger
because of Tekashi
and his crew.
The years that he was facing,
I believe it was 47 to life.
-[horns honking]
-[person] This is crazy.
[gunshot]
[Brendan] A lot
of the shootings and robberies
that end up coming
into that case,
even I was unaware of.
As I'm filing reports
from the courthouse,
statements came out
that made it very clear
that by the time of his arrest
and for months preceding that,
things were, like,
truly out of control.
[DJ Pvnch] We didn't know
how far that he would go.
We didn't really know.
You're just sitting there
just hoping.
Watching him
like it's television.
Every single gangster movie
you saw,
every gangster goes,
"Yo, just don't say nothing."
Never give up your friends,
Dave.
You think I'm a fucking rat?
And always keep
your mouth shut.
You're a gangster, right?
That's what a gangster
would do.
I've been
in that predicament before.
I know how to handle it.
So what you gonna do now?
You gonna stand tall for it?
Or you gonna fall for it?
We learned very fa--
you know, in the case,
that he agreed to cooperate
from 24 hours inside jail.
[attorney] He signed
a cooperation agreement.
His cooperation agreement
allows the judge
to sentence him to much below
his standard
federal sentencing guidelines.
[DJ Pvnch] I think it goes down
really clearly why he did.
To get Shotti.
And all I will say
to all of this is,
money changes people to ways
that some of us will
never understand.
Attention makes people
into very, very ugly variations
of who they can be.
And clout is turning
into the devil.
And once you mix
any of these three up
to someone who's not prepared
to deal with it,
betrayal is amongst
your future.
[indistinct chatter]
Ay, ay, ay.
Treyway.
Yo, let's go to the plane.
Hey, let's go check it out.
This is what...
[indistinct]
[jet engine roaring]
[DJ Pvnch] Shotti used to bring
his boys with us
on show dates.
[indistinct chatter]
'Cause he was so excited
to show them the world,
'cause Shotti was like, "Yo,
when I grew up, I saw nothing."
Shotti's going to jail
for 15 years.
His sons are young teenagers.
When Shotti come out of jail,
if he does the 15 years,
his sons are 30.
You lose your life
from this shit.
I don't think that people
really understand sometimes
what jail
and how much time they get
and how much it's affected
and the echoes
of what a jail sentence can do
to a family or to someone.
If you hate Shotti
and Shotti stole money
and fucked your girl
and that's the narrative
that he wants to run with,
then hang Shotti.
I would actually
understand that more.
If he had enough pride
not to snitch on anybody else
and went at Shotti,
then I'd go,
"We was in his emotions
and wanted to fuck
that guy over
that allegedly
fucked him over."
But he put everyone in jail.
He literally confirmed
about nearly--
something about everyone
that put 'em all in jail.
[Brendan]
You just don't snitch, man.
He has a remarkable ability
to see himself as the victim.
Doesn't really matter
who was hurt.
[attorney] ...what's been
marked for identification
as Government Exhibit 202.
[Brendan] Eventually,
lawyers started talking
about the "GUMMO" music video.
[Seqo] I was shocked.
He labeled my home,
my grandmother's house,
Blood headquarters
when it's not that.
It's never been that.
Never known to be that.
[Billy] Stuff he did is
just horrible.
You know,
what he's carrying on about,
it's just disgusting, you know?
You've gotta have some sympathy
for people who risked
their life for you,
people who didn't even know you
from a can of paint.
Nobody was helping theyself.
They was just believing
in your dream
and helping you build
your career, you know?
It's sad.
Really is.
[Tekashi]
Harv, Anthony Ellison.
[DJ Pvnch]
A lot of people then go,
"Yo, what you would've done?
What you would've done?"
And they always do that
and devil's advocate
and be like--if you're not
asking someone
that's a gang member,
that question is null and void.
What I would've done?
We a civilian.
I do whatever I want.
I didn't sign up for that life.
He signed up for it
voluntarily.
And he turned as dishonorable
as you probably can get
to now where he might be
the most famous cooperator
and snitch to ever walk
the face of this earth.
[shutter clicks]
solemn music
He didn't wanna own up
to anything.
He wanted the easier way out.
What do we say to that?
No one really has an answer
for it
because at that point,
devil's advocate can't
work anymore.
It exposes him indirectly
for what he is,
which is, "I'll sacrifice
other people's lives
for the betterment of my own."
Still blessed. I'm free.
I'm still lit.
I didn't get caught up
in all the stupidness they did.
I wasn't there for any of it.
I'm thankful to be free.
That's all.
I'm not worried
about driving a Bugatti.
I don't care about no Bugatti.
None of that shit.
[laughs]
I'm more than blessed.
He don't even know.
dramatic music
[Giancarlo] It's fucked up.
And it doesn't really
make sense how it happens.
Every supervillain has
this ability
to keep getting away.
Just when you think
it's all but over
and the villain is
finally being served justice,
they somehow escape...
...getting everything back.
And then some.
[chuckles]
Slippery fuckers.
tense music
[person] Tekashi has been
released from prison.
[Ron] I would fear for him
coming back to New York.
[Adam 22] You know, he's got,
like, a whole city
wanting to kill him.
[Sara] His life is in danger.
Somebody's gonna kill him.
[Seqo] Yeah, you know
he's in danger.
Never know who might wanna do
something to him
who would do it for the clout,
who don't give a damn.
[interviewer]
Did you write music
while you were in prison?
[Tekashi] Yeah.
Yeah, I actually wrote "GOOBA"
in jail.
The first part was...
Niggas always wanna talk
about some gangster shit
But never went to jail
for no gangster shit
They can't wait
for times like this
To rhyme like this
so they can
Lie about that
and lie about this
Screaming murder,
murder, murder
But ain't murder shit
Nigga, if you're
gun busting
Who the fuck you hit?
Who the fuck you ever rob
when you did your bit?
Who the fuck you ever drop,
nigga, suck my dick
See the vibes
and all that, man?
First day home.
You see the vibes, man?
That's how we push, man.
King of New York's home, man.
All this shit was bought, man.
Y'all rent.
We don't rent, man.
All this shit mine, man.
You heard?
Quarantine, man.
This how I quarantine, man.
I'm on house arrest.
Come on, let's go.
You know why people so mad?
They thought it was over
for me.
They counting me out.
"Yo, you ratted?
[trills]
It's over for you."
I would be mad too.
You're mad, I'm back,
big mad
He's mad, she's mad,
big sad
Ha-ha, don't care,
stay mad
Ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha
Ha-ha, bitch, I'm laughing
'cause you big mad
See it in your face,
cry baby, bitch, you big sad
Niggas tweeting 'bout me,
got me trending,
bitch, you big sad
Tell me how I ratted,
came home to a big bag
[Joe]
This little manipulative fuck.
-[Rory] Mm-hmm.
-Back to manipulating.
He manipulated
the gang culture.
Then I think he took that
and he manipulated
the court system.
And I think
the broader picture is
all an effort to manipulate
hip-hop culture.
-[cohost] Yeah.
-Mm-hmm.
Nah.
[laughs]
[Adam 22] He's trying
to convince everybody
that, actually, it was cool
for him to snitch.
"Actually, it was cool
for me to put,
like, 15 people in jail"
that, realistically,
a lot of them were
total loyal servants to him.
You know, people
who shot people for him.
[Cardi]
The crimes that you commit...
and then when you get
locked up,
you're going to snitch.
It doesn't work like that.
Tough-ass niggas.
-Point niggas out in court.
-[cohost] It's crazy.
You're a rat.
R-A-T, a rat.
Man, I don't even know
what these kids doing
these days, bro,
with this music.
So maybe they condone
the snitching,
but, you know, my generation,
we ain't fucking with that.
[Brendan]
In the hip-hop community,
snitching is
traditionally seen
as something
that you just don't do.
But the people who are
paying attention to Tekashi
are young people
who do not know or care
about the, like, traditional
terms of engagement.
To me, it's a race thing,
you know?
Society is just
accepting things.
You can clearly see them.
He did a lot
of messed up stuff,
and just 'cause he don't care,
they're saying it isn't.
He's laughing
and he's laughing it off
and he thinks it's cool,
they're saying, "Okay,
if he don't care,
then why should we care?
He's gonna laugh it off too."
And that's not cool.
Lives gone for nothing.
The most tangible way
to look at it is,
you know, he gets arrested
with a bunch of Black guys,
and those guys are
still in prison,
and the one person
who's not Black is not.
To me, it seemed a lot like
our legal system operating
as intended.
[Tekashi] Y'all really thought
it was over.
And I know
when I was locked up,
y'all prayed every night like,
"God, please.
God, please don't let him
come home and be lit again.
God, please, every time I open
the Gram, all I see is him."
Y'all wasting prayers, homey.
[Adam 22] 6ix9ine, right now,
is in a weird place.
You look at him,
he's really somebody
who's, like, created
a character
that doesn't need
to reference back
to the history of rap music,
that doesn't need
to reference back
to really anything, you know?
Y'all can't do the shit I do.
Get this.
That's a million in cash
right there.
A million in cash.
A million in cash.
Y'all real niggas
can't do that.
[Adam 22]
It's a situation where, like,
none of the elites will have
anything to do with him,
but then the populace
as a whole
apparently really,
really likes him.
[cheers and applause]
Y'all egged him on.
Y'all just fed him.
That shit made him wanna
do it more and more and more.
I'm saying,
the fans just provoked it.
[cheers and applause]
[Tekashi] Number one, nigga!
Didn't I tell you, nigga?
Didn't I tell you, nigga?
Fuck you!
I can't be stopped, nigga!
Didn't I tell you?
Stop playing with me.
And we got blackballed.
Y'all try to blackball me
on radio.
Y'all try to blackball me
on radio.
-Uh-huh, uh-huh.
-Apple Music, Spotify,
they didn't give us
no playlisting.
-Fuck are they talking about?
-I can't be stopped, nigga!
I can't be stopped!
Number fucking one, nigga!
-Daddy's bugging!
-And for the fans?
Listen.
And this for the fans.
This shit can't be possible
without y'all.
We beat the industry.
I know they told you,
"I'ma get the number one."
We beat the industry.
Fuck is y'all talking 'bout?
-I can't be stopped!
-Let's fucking go!
dramatic music
Truth?
Man, this story don't got
a lot to do with that.
[laughs]
I mean, this is
a post-truth story.
Because if we were
to really look
at, like, who 6ix9ine is
and the fans were concerned
with who he really is,
then I don't think
y'all would be
making a documentary about him,
because the truth of who he is
isn't nearly as interesting
as the mask that he decided
to throw on.
[Rory] Well, he was projected
at 150,
and now currently,
at this time,
he's projected for 35K.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
You can be the numbers guy
all day and say,
"Yo, my video got
5 billion views today."
Does it really have
tangible results?
They'll click on it.
They'll watch a video
on Instagram
and watch you acting crazy
and do whatever you do,
but they not gonna go
and support the music.
[Adam 22]
The public has turned against
a lot of the stuff that was
popping at that time.
It doesn't seem
like people are
necessarily super interested
in, you know, the next
green-haired face tattoo kid.
The appetite is more
for authenticity and talent
over sorta sensationalism.
[Brendan]
Authenticity in hip-hop is
a long-standing tradition,
and hip-hop culture has
been around here
for a lot longer than he has.
And I don't think he's gonna
have a whole lot of influence
in the genre moving forward.
Hip-hop culture is
more resilient.
He makes the kind of music
that's captivating
the first time.
I don't know that it's
captivating the second,
and it's just tiring.
Now he's in a weird spot
because he's very invested
in the idea
that he's, like,
the most popular artist alive.
And if the numbers don't
show that,
he doesn't matter so much.
[Adam 22] He's gonna run out
of tricks at a certain point.
I can already see him
picking fights with Drake,
and it's like, how much beefing
can you really do
walking around
with off-duty cops,
it's like, a straight-up,
like, circle
of ten giant humans,
3,000 pounds of humans,
so nobody can get at you,
without people just being like,
"Oh, all right,
this is all just jokes."
[Brendan] He's a product
of the time.
The bigger forces at play here
where, like, someone exploited
a very specific
emotional response
to become
extraordinarily popular
extraordinarily quickly,
they haven't gone away.
I think you're gonna see
more Tekashis
in terms of, like,
the internet making,
like, incredibly compelling
celebrity figures
on a very accelerated timeline.
I don't think
I would have covered Tekashi
if there wasn't clearly
a large group of people
in America
who were fascinated by him.
My fascination is with
their fascination.
[Giancarlo]
Supervillains are a reflection
of the society
that creates them.
Through their miraculous rise
and tragic fall,
we are actually able to learn
about who we are becoming
as a culture.
At the end of the day,
we all have a fascination
with the controversial.
All of the nightly news
and cringeworthy clickbait.
And every true
cultural supervillain
knows how to exploit
these dark fascinations.
Until their tricks get old
and we become desensitized.
And finally,
they fade into irrelevance.
None.
At all.
I can't name one.
He doesn't really know nothing
about hip-hop.
You put on old Biggie
and stuff,
he don't even know the lyrics,
and you from Brooklyn
right there.
How you don't know the lyrics
to Biggie Smalls,
no matter how old you are?
And it's crazy
that he's using the culture.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.
I got everybody."
It's a big game to him,
you know?
He doesn't understand,
like, being a real man
and understanding
real principles and morals,
you know what I mean, so...
one day, I guess he'll grow up.
The Bee Gees'
"I Started a Joke" playing
somber '70s ballad
I started a joke
Which started
the whole world crying
But I didn't see
That the joke was on me
Oh, no
I started to cry
Which started
the whole world laughing
Oh, if I'd only seen
That the joke was on me
Look at my city.
Take a look at my city.
That's my city right there.
These people love me.
Look. Look all around.
Look all around.
music distorts and stops
Oh, and by the way,
if you trying to pause
the video and screenshot,
by the time I uploaded this,
I'm already gone.
[laughter echoing]
dramatic music
We're at a red light.
And a car just smashes
the whole back of the car.
[metal and glass crunch]
It's like a scene--
a opening little movie scene.
Straight outta that.
-[person] Stop, stop, stop.
-[person] Wait, wait, wait.
[Tekashi] My whole heart
just went to my stomach.
[Tekashi] Is this the place
where I die?
[Tekashi] I'm just talking
to God and I'm just like,
you know, do I really wanna
lose my life right now?
Is jewelry, is money,
is all that shit
more important
than seeing Saraiyah,
my daughter,
graduate from kindergarten?
So I said, "I got some jewelry
in the crib.
Don't hurt my daughter."
dramatic music
[Sara] My phone rings.
I pick up.
He goes,
"Sara, where's the baby?"
I found it odd.
Hold on.
And I'm like,
"Yo, where are you, Danny?
What's going on?"
And he picks up the phone,
and it was like,
"They're gonna kill me."
He has, like, a little
gash on his eye.
He was bleeding and had a knot.
So I'm looking at it;
I start crying.
I'm like, "Yo, what the fuck
is going on?
Who's gonna kill you?"
And he goes,
"Don't ask me no questions.
Please do everything
I tell you."
I'm like, "What's going on?"
He goes, "I need you
to go downstairs
and get my jewelry,
it's on the table,
and wrap it the way I wrap it
and put it in the baby's bag."
He goes, "I'm coming
around the block right now."
A different car
from the driver's car pulls up
and someone throws
a hoodie on,
comes out the car,
and is standing
in front of me.
And he goes,
"Sara, give him the bag."
We gave the bag,
the guy got in the car,
and the car burnt rubber.
[person] All right,
get in the car.
Get in the car.
We're gonna shoot you.
[person] You have a gun
in the car?
[person] Get in the car.
[Tekashi] I just started
talking to God.
I'm like, "You're the only one
that can get me out of this."
By that time, there was
a argument that happened.
I managed to throw myself out.
But there was
incoming traffic.
Tonight, police are on the hunt
for the two men responsible
for a robbery and kidnapping
at gunpoint in Brooklyn.
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was
kidnapped and attacked
in Bed-Stuy Sunday morning.
He was taken
to Kings County Hospital
for observation.
I push people to be civilian
in this world.
Civilian is a safe world.
Publicly, what could we say?
What happened?
Are you all right?
You know, it was a inside job.
[DJ Pvnch] But if you sign up
for this gang shit,
you signed up
for certain type of replies
and certain type of behaviors.
If you a gang member
and you get approached
on some gang time
and some action,
you gotta swell up.
It's time to be the guy
that you said you were.
dramatic music
[horn blares]
Boy.
We outside.
Good, strong, healthy.
No matter how much fame I got,
no matter how much...
...publicity is involved
with my name,
everybody know me for being
in the heart of Brooklyn,
staying in the heart
of Brooklyn.
I'm like, is that
more important than family?
Is that more important
than life?
Is that more important
than love, man?
And tomorrow.
Just having another...
-Another chance.
-Yeah.
The first time Tekashi felt
like he was not invincible
was the day he got kidnapped.
That's the first time
that he was like, "Oh, shit."
dramatic music
[Sara] Harv was the muscle.
And he felt like he wasn't
being appreciated
for his loyalty and his work.
It's hard
trying to protect someone
who makes all these problems.
[DJ Pvnch] Tekashi's word
in the video kinda shows
that Harv wanted bread.
'Cause in that video,
I see someone who's like,
"Yo, bro,
why you ain't call me?
You know you owe me."
Tekashi was living out his raps
on a very specific environment,
surrounded by a lot
of protection,
a lot of muscle.
...what I'm talking about.
And that bitch-ass nigga.
[DJ Pvnch] That was Harv.
[Seqo] Yeah, he was there
from the beginning.
He stood up for Danny
millions of times.
And now when it's time
to pay for it or whatever,
nigga just started
getting greedy.
[Billy] He was a really stingy
person since I met him.
Harv, I'm pretty sure
he didn't show it that much,
but he felt crushed.
You know, "You're not paying me
for all this stuff."
The fighting at the airport.
He was the one
at the Minnesota stuff.
[shouting]
[Ron] Harv really thought
it was the time to strike
because of where Tekashi was
at the time.
He was at top of his game
financially.
And they really thought
they could extort him
for a lot more than, you know,
what really went down.
[reporter] The two suspects
took the jewelry.
So far,
no arrests have been made
and the investigation
is ongoing.
Yo, I got
a quick little message
for all my fans,
for people who are not my fans,
and for people out there.
I went from broke
to being fucking rich as fuck
in the matter of a year.
And all of this money,
all of this money,
can't buy happiness.
[DJ Pvnch]
After the kidnapping,
Tekashi wasn't feeling it.
But then Shotti was there
to pep talk him
right back into it.
How do you look at everything?
You know, they wanna know
your reaction,
like, with Six the other night.
How do you look at it?
[Billy] I regret not analyzing
the situation better,
paying more attention
to stuff, you know.
[cheering and shouting]
He was giving more stuff
to Shotti.
To him, he wanted to find
the biggest personal--
the heads of this stuff
and give them bread.
They'll take care of everybody
so he ain't gotta deal
with everybody,
and, I mean, that's, like,
his mentality.
You going live?
[Ron] Shotti became the power.
He made himself the "manager."
But Shotti didn't really have
to worry much
because he didn't really have
to answer to many people
'cause he was on top
of the food chain already.
[DJ Pvnch]
Shotti basically made sure
that he was in the position
that he needed to be.
Tekashi didn't trust anyone.
He wanted to cut
everybody off.
So when the opportunity came,
it was just Shotti
and Tekashi,
everything changed.
brash hip-hop
What we doing?
Motherfucking time.
Made in America, niggas.
2018, all that's
Treyway, right?
We run that world, right?
At that point,
everybody was split.
6ix9ine started getting
paranoid.
Then Shotti put
every single piece
of that kid back together.
"Don't worry about that.
That happens, bro.
That happens.
Don't worry about nothing.
Don't worry about nothing.
We good."
He felt like it was
fourth quarter, man.
[Tekashi] Hey, Shotti,
come here, Blood.
Come here, Blood.
Philly, this is
fucking Treyway.
-Make some noise!
-[cheers and applause]
Let's pop it.
Yo, Shotti.
I want you to give me
that strong "Treyway."
You hear me?
On the count of three.
One, two, three.
Treyway!
[Shotti] That's my word,
get up in they face
Talk your shit,
let your nuts drag, nigga
These niggas just running
out they fucking mouth, man
Follow protocol, Blood
Get in they fucking chest,
nigga
[Tekashi] Scum Gang!
[Shotti] Treyway!
These niggas
bleed different
We don't bleed, nigga
We make niggas bleed,
Blood
Treyway
[person] Dope shit.
[DJ Pvnch]
The fuck I'm talking about!
[person] Dope shit.
We just broke Made in America
in 90 motherfucking pieces.
Say that again?
We broke Made in America
into 90 fucking pieces, man.
What the fuck he just said.
Fuck rolling with you niggas.
We the M.O.B.!
[DJ Pvnch] After Jay-Z's
festival, Made in America,
that's really where
the arrogance was set in
really strong at that point.
Try to stop us.
I'm not fucking stopping.
My energy's too crazy, man.
I break the rules.
You know what I'm saying?
I break through all that shit.
Through pedophile comments,
all that shit.
All that negativity.
[scoffs]
My energy is too crazy.
[Shotti] Tell 'em who the fuck
they're talking to.
[Tekashi] Treyway.
We just spent $50,000
in ten minutes
on the fucking walk in.
This is what the fuck it costs
to be at the fucking top
of the fucking game, yo.
Show diamond.
Oh.
[50 Cent] So don't come here
talking about your
feelings.
The fucking queen herself.
-The only queen.
-That's right.
Every single day,
something unbelievable
was happening.
Someone humongous was
retweeting him.
I love 6ix9ine.
Hold on, hold on, hold on,
hold on, hold on.
-You like 6ix9ine?
-Yeah. I love his energy.
King of New York is back
in New York.
I see this face.
The fuck is up?
-[indistinct]
-Fucking what?
The fucking M.O.B. is Treyway.
You know the vibes, man.
This is the CEO of one of
the hottest labels in the game.
Everywhere I go,
I hear Treyway.
I'm listening to Nicki,
I hear Treyway.
[DJ Pvnch]
Shotti really understood
at a point, it was like,
"Yo, if I get this right,
this immediately correlates
with success and with money.
Before 6ix9ine,
I never had a social media.
-Never?
-Never.
Never had a Myspace,
a Facebook.
None of that shit, man.
You were in the streets
for real.
When you ain't got social,
you--
Literally, in February,
my lawyer was like,
"Yo, if you really want
this label shit,
if you really focus
on this shit,
you gotta get on social media."
Damo Prende, motherfuckers
This is
that Black Wall Street
That bad-ass motivation
That Nine Trey
gangster shit, baby
This is Treyway
[interviewer] But as the CEO,
like, a lot of times,
you have to be accountable
for the things you say.
So when you see somebody
like, you know--
We're not in that era.
We're not--there is nobody
held accountable
for what they say any longer.
There's nobody held accountable
from our president,
commander in chief,
to the smallest person
on the streets.
There's nobody held accountable
for what they say any longer.
-It's the internet, bro.
-Right.
Like, you get what I'm saying?
-Yeah.
-It's the internet.
Like, how seriously
can you take it?
Cameraman, you on me?
[person]
That's how you bumming, Shotti?
It's fucking Treyway, nigga.
What the fuck else I'm doing,
nigga?
Agent Treyway.
It's Mr. Treyway
out this bitch.
They gave me a fucking 2018
motherfucking Aventador
out this bitch.
What the fuck y'all niggas
think of this, man?
Y'all niggas know
the fucking hit, man.
[engine revving]
dramatic music
[Ron] Real gangsters move
in silence.
But that crew
we're talking about
in the era
we're talking about,
these individuals aren't afraid
to not move in silence.
They're not afraid if you know
who they are
'cause they feel
they're untouchable.
Come on, all you niggas
that's mad at Tekashi,
y'all can suck some dicks.
My man is selling.
We winning.
Ain't nobody touching him.
Y'all can suck some more dicks.
Y'all faggot-ass niggas.
It's fucking Treyway!
[Ron] You know,
law enforcement's watching
social media every day.
And, you know, they're
basically building cases
because of social media posts
that are going on
with these gangs.
Fuck Chief Keef,
fuck Lil Reese,
fuck all them niggas.
Fuck y'all niggas
talking about, nigga?
-This fucking Treyway, nigga.
-Treyway!
I bet y'all next pull up
in New Jersey now, nigga.
Judge the name of my city,
but my brothers is there,
you heard me?
You know what I'm saying?
New York shit, man.
This is fucking Treyway, man.
[Ron] Got a kid running around
with rainbow hair
doing these things,
so it's not like, you know,
there's gonna be many questions
on who was it.
So these individuals don't care
about that, you know?
They really don't care
about if they know it's me.
"I hope they know it's me."
They're showing weapons.
They're showing
things they're doing.
They're so built up
on this clout,
they're so built up on,
"Oh, look who I am,"
they really don't think about,
you know, the aftereffects
of this incident.
What if?
You got millions of viewers,
millions of followers,
you're getting the likes,
you're getting
everything you want
that you think is
instant gratification,
but unfortunately,
it's the demise
of a lot of these groups,
social media.
You know I won't ever let them
take you from me again.
I let my guard down,
I'm not gonna lie,
but I won't ever let them
take you from me again.
[Giancarlo] Every supervillain
has a moment of reflection.
A point where life
fucks them up so badly
that they're faced
with a decision.
A chance to walk away
from it all.
But they never go that route.
Their ego simply won't
let them.
When supervillains hit
rock bottom,
they rebuild themselves
to be even bigger than before.
And when that ego takes over,
they start to lose their mind.
Paranoia and dark thoughts
creep in.
And it all starts to come
spiraling down.
[reporter] Rapper Tekashi
6ix9ine's Brooklyn home
was raided by federal agents.
[engine revving]
The rapper's also said
to be touring overseas
and wasn't home at the time.
A report says agents found
a gun during that search.
[Tekashi]
The feds raided the crib
and find that assault rifle.
It wasn't mine.
So, like,
it was Shotti's pistol
that ended up in my apartment.
I sit down with Shotti
and say, "Yo, they were
looking for you.
Where were you?"
Like, the whole time,
I'm thinking,
"How did that pistol end up
in that house?"
I'm thinking
the kidnap situation too.
I'm thinking, "Somebody's
trying to set me up."
He fooled me,
you know what I'm saying?
Completely fooled me.
My trust been broken.
I went into a rage.
When I met Shotti,
he was sleeping on the rug.
I said, "Hey, you wanna come
with me to my girlfriend,
which we have a kid together,
her house?
We're having Thanksgiving
dinner with the family."
I brought him
into the household.
And everything destructed.
-What y'all on?
-They on my shit.
What y'all on?
What y'all on?
[Tekashi] It's funny, right?
So I was seeing
on Instagram a lot,
like, "Yo,
they're sleeping together.
Fucking.
They're sleeping together."
Something in my heart
just told me,
"Go through his phone."
[Shotti] Yo, it's Treyway.
He lowkey wanna be lit like me.
That's what it is.
[Tekashi]
I seen all the messages.
"Are you with Danny?
Call me after your jog.
Call me.
Why you hung up on me?"
At that point,
it's solidified.
It's guaranteed.
At the end of the day,
that's the mother to my child.
[shutter clicking]
So I brought this stupid bitch
to Dubai.
[Sara] He was being tormented
in his own mind.
He had the craziest look
in his eyes.
He looked like
he was possessed.
I don't know what to call it
at this point
'cause this is like--
I never seen anybody
act this way.
We were in the hotel room.
I thought he was sleeping.
He turned over real quick,
awake, and was like,
"Let me see your phone."
I'm like, "Why?"
He was like, "All right,
I wanna ask you a question.
Why are you so close
to Shotti?"
He was like, "You like him?"
I'm like, "No.
What would make you think that?
Like, why would you
even ask that?"
And he just went
and he started punching me.
He was like, "Don't lie to me.
I feel it.
I know you like him."
I'm like...
type of insecure shit
is going on right now?
[shutter clicks]
This is not the first time
that he started putting
his hands on me.
Has monster ways.
And I was scared
to tell him, like,
"I'm close to him 'cause he's
the only one that stops
you from beating my ass,
and when he's around,
you don't beat my ass."
And he went ahead
and he punched me.
I had just gotten my hair done
the day before that,
so I had these tracks,
and they had, like--
they're micro links,
so they had,
like these little pieces
of metal that hold the hair.
So when he punched me
in my head,
it stabbed, like, into my--
like, my head, my scalp,
and my scalp was leaking.
I was leaking a lot of blood.
He kept on hitting me.
He threw a chair on me.
He punched me in my face.
He kicked me in my face,
kicked me in my back.
He put the pillows over my face
so I wouldn't scream.
He stood doing that
for, like, two hours.
And I thought I was gonna die
in that hotel room.
The next morning, when I went
into the bathroom
and finally saw my face,
I felt so empty.
I felt so disgusted.
With him.
With myself.
I was embarrassed.
And he walked in the bathroom
and he said,
"Fix your face."
Looking at my eye.
I used the hotel phone
to call the security
'cause he was
literally staying,
like, two rooms next to us.
And he looked at me,
and I just fell into his arms
and I started crying.
I said, "I don't care
how you do it.
I gotta leave."
solemn music
As I'm leaving
at this airport,
I told the security
"thank you" or whatever.
He looked at me.
Looked like he wanted to cry.
He gave me a hug
and told me to love myself.
And gave me a big bear hug,
rubbed my back,
and he was like,
"Love yourself more."
And he walked out.
I spent so many years...
...being after him
and loving him the way I did,
I forgot what it was
to love myself.
I forgot how to do that.
So it hurt hearing someone else
point that out.
tense music
[Ron] The feds have been
building this case for years.
They've had
social media posts;
they have guns they found
in his apartment.
You know,
they were getting closer.
And by the way, you know,
the car they used?
That car was bugged.
And that's how they got
that kidnapping footage,
which was a big part of it.
They hear
the drug transactions.
They hear the conversations
about homicides.
Be it that violent act
that happened at the W
in Manhattan
to what happened
at the Barclay
to what happened when he went
to the West Coast
at the airport,
they start piecing
all this stuff together,
and once they piece
all this stuff together
and they know that they have
charges that are gonna stick,
and folks, the feds--
99.9% of the time,
the feds win.
You know, you don't beat
a federal charge.
[distant siren wailing]
[DJ Pvnch] When we was
in Dubai, I had left.
I left early
'cause I just wasn't liking
how everybody was moving,
and straight up and down,
I'm confused at why it's going
so crazy,
why this went so left.
It just feel, like, mad spooky.
If you've been in the street
long enough,
you like, "Yo, this shit feel
off balance?"
What's up, everybody?
So I'm letting everybody know
that I canceled my whole tour.
The American dates is
not happening.
It's not going down.
I fired everybody in my team.
I got no manager,
I got no booking agent,
no PR, no publicist--
I don't got nobody on my team.
It's just me.
I fired everybody.
I don't give a fuck
who you used to see me with.
They no longer around.
It's a fucking dub.
November 23rd, the album drop.
"Everybody fired.
I'm cutting off everybody."
Firing everybody.
I'm calling him.
He not answering his phone.
Calling him all day.
Finally answers
at the end of the night.
"Yo, what's up?"
"Like, what you mean,
'what's up?'
What's all this fire shit
you talking about?"
"Oh, not you, big bro."
I'm like, "What?"
He be like, "Don't worry.
We're gonna go to
Breakfast Club next week.
We're gonna clear
everything up."
I'm like, "Yo, bro, you gotta
clear all of this shit up.
Shit's fucked up."
[DJ Envy] Morning, everybody.
It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee,
Charlamagne Tha God.
We got a special guest
in the building!
-[Charlamagne] He's back.
-[DJ Envy] He's back.
-Tekashi 6ix9ine.
-[Charlamagne] He's back.
King of New York.
You know that.
[DJ Pvnch]
I wake up the next day.
My boy hits me and goes,
"Why you not up
at the radio station?"
I go, "We gon' be up there
next week.
I'ma be up there.
I just spoke to him yesterday."
He said,
"He's coming back again?"
I said, "Wait, what are you
talking about?"
He said, "Takashi's at
Breakfast Club right now."
[Charlamagne] Why did you
fire everybody, 6ix9ine?
[DJ Envy] Yeah, we seen
the video yesterday.
Yeah.
[Angela] And you canceled
your whole tour?
Yeah, I canceled everything.
Like, there's so much money
out here to be stealing.
Like, you know what I'm saying?
So people were stealing
from you.
[DJ Envy] We figured
people was stealing.
That that was the reason.
Yeah, like, a lot of people
think I'm on cocaine.
Like, people think,
like, I'm on cocaine now,
bugging, and, like, they like,
"Yo, you just paranoid."
Like...
but I know, like,
you know what I'm saying?
[DJ Pvnch]
Went on Breakfast Club,
he did a lot
of the victim positioning.
I'm listening to the interview
like a stranger, I feel like.
Like, "Yo, they stole from me.
They took $2 million."
I'm like, "Yo, Shotti can't
steal $2 million from him."
Every Blood is not your blood.
Let's just put that
like that, right?
[Charlamagne] Correct.
There's a difference
between being a gang member...
...and just being
a dirty nigga.
-[laughs]
-[DJ Envy] Mm-hmm.
-You feel me?
-[DJ Envy] Mm-hmm.
[Tekashi]
And 80% of this industry
is dirty niggas.
90.
I never had a manager.
[DJ Envy] People used to think
that all the guys
that were around you stole--
-[Charlamagne] Treyway, Trey.
-And taking money from you.
People thought that.
I feel like when you try
to help somebody,
there's so much you can help
before they just bite
your hand.
[DJ Envy]
But now how do you move?
Because they know
everything about you.
They were around you so long...
[Charlamagne] You said
the people that can get to you
are the people that were close
to you.
So nobody next to me.
But you got rid of all of them,
but they know
how to get to you though.
Yeah, like, my mom don't even
got my phone number.
[DJ Pvnch]
It's like he really wanted
to kinda claim back
his normality
and really shy away
from the gang.
He wasn't talking aggressive.
He was openly with the glasses
and pushing it up,
doing all of these,
"I'm human, I'm nerdy,
I'm a regular kid."
He created this new narrative,
and I looked at it and go,
"Why did he do that?"
I never understood.
Treyway is nothing without me.
I don't wanna jack Treyway
no more.
Did you fire Trey too?
Everybody is gone.
Get out of my life.
Get outta here.
-[Angela] Everybody?
-Everybody.
But he left that interview
being like,
"Yo, this kid's a victim
and everyone's taking advantage
of him."
And I remember getting a call
jokingly from one of my friends
going, "Yo, bro, why y'all
doing that to that kid, man?
What's up?"
And I'm like--
and it hit me.
He wanted to switch
the narrative.
I got federal agents
sitting in front of my house.
One, two, three, four, five,
six cars.
It's beyond us.
[DJ Pvnch]
And in that interview,
we learned very fa--you know,
that that's when he got
approached by the feds.
One thing I fear in life.
No, two things.
I'm not gonna--I fear God
and I fear the FBI.
-[Charlamagne] The feds.
-[laughter]
Only two things I'm scared of
in life.
Mm-hmm?
God first and the FBI.
dramatic music
If her shit go to 50--
if this shit go to 50...
[DJ Pvnch] Then he goes on Live
with some random girl
and then goes,
"Yo, fuck Treyway."
Treyway.
It's like, fuck Treyway.
Treyway can suck my dick.
And I go...
"Why would you say that?
Like, I would've rather
you say, 'Fuck Shotti.'
When you say, 'Fuck Treyway,'
you just dissed 1,000 people."
Yo, we got fucking big Bloods
in this bitch, what?
The Zombies'
"Time of the Season" playing
This motherfucker, man.
It's Treyway.
[Ron] You know,
the Nine Trey gangsters,
it's the same concept
as the mafia,
even from the mafia days.
The hierarchy was
very, very big.
If you were the godfather
of a sect,
whatever's being made
on the streets,
you're getting a piece of that.
And underneath the godfathers,
think of the military concept.
I mean, you had generals.
You know, underneath
the generals, you had captains.
Underneath the captains,
you had your soldiers.
From the generals on down
to the captains
down to the soldiers.
It's the time
of the season
For loving
[Ron] The feds, they'll always
get the street soldiers,
but back in the day,
they never really could get
to the people
above the street soldiers
'cause they were
well insulated.
For the feds, the only way
to dismantle these groups
is through
the Federal RICO Act.
Well, RICO breaks down to
Racketeer and Influenced
Corrupt Organizations.
Because what they did was,
they looked at these
criminal organizations
and found out they were
exactly that, organizations.
[reporter] The jailhouse gates
rumble down
as a prison van carries
John Gotti
to a future behind bars.
Teflon is gone.
The don is covered with Velcro,
and every charge
in the indictment stuck.
[Ron] Once the New York City
Police Department got educated
on how the RICO law
could be used,
they took this
back to the streets
and started applying this
to every organization
they thought was
a criminal enterprise.
This is a great day
for law enforcement,
but this is a bad day,
probably the worst,
for the mafia.
[Ron] With Tekashi,
just by hanging out
with a Blood member,
calling yourself
a Blood member,
if you are under
a RICO investigation,
they're not only looking
at you.
They connected you
to this group,
they're here to dismantle
this group,
and you're going down
with this group.
[Shotti] Blood, he's a--
Blood, the nigga gotta be
on drugs, homey.
Nigga said, "Fuck Treyway."
He said, "Fuck Treyway,
bum-ass niggas,
dirty-ass niggas."
This kid is crazy, homey.
dramatic music
[agent]
In the last 24 hours,
Danny Hernandez has been taken
into custody,
as well as a number
of other individuals.
We are working closely
with the southern district,
our partners in
Homeland Security, and the ATF,
and we'll have more to say
in the days to come.
[reporter] 6ix9ine was one
of five people arrested
by the feds on Sunday night
on RICO and firearms charges.
[reporter] Rapper Tekashi
6ix9ine was denied bail.
The judge ruled
the Brooklyn native was
a likely danger
to the community.
[reporter] According to
the federal indictment,
6ix9ine and crew conspired
to commit a slew of crimes,
including drug deals,
armed robberies,
and shootings as part
of the Nine Trey Bloods.
[reporter]
These reportedly show
a gunpoint robbery
he allegedly set up.
[reporter] Now, at least two
of the charges he's facing
could face up to a maximum
penalty of life in prison.
I'm a former state
and federal prosecutor.
I worked in the Manhattan
district attorney's office
and the United State's
attorney's office
for the eastern district
of New York in Brooklyn,
where I was in the organized
crime and gang unit.
It's hard for me to speak
to what an individual
is thinking
when they continue to commit
crimes on tape.
[gunfire]
Standing alone, a shooting
at Barclays may mean nothing,
but when you look back
in context,
if there's a pattern
of criminal activity
and a group that was
committing those crimes,
that's where the racketeering
statute may come in.
That permits mandatory
minimum sentences
and prosecution of individuals
together in a group
who are committing
crimes together.
[DJ Pvnch]
I remember getting that call,
"Yo, they just
arrested Crippy."
"Oh, shit,
they just got Shotti."
"Oh, they just took Tekashi,"
and I was, like,
looking out my window.
'Cause no one still knew
why anybody was arrested.
[siren wailing]
[Ron] There were dozens
of crimes involved
in this case.
Without the RICO statute,
each defendant would
only have to answer
for those exact crimes
that he himself committed.
That's why they use
these cases,
as many defendants can be
found guilty.
As long as they assisted
or order something,
put you right under
the same umbrella.
So instead of arresting
three individuals
for the shooting in Brooklyn,
now they're connecting
all the dots.
Those soldiers shot those guns
on the demand of the higher-up
who gave them the order
to conduct this business.
[Adam 22] When the indictments
come down and you actually see
all the stuff that they were
charging him with,
it's like, "Wait, so you
really did order somebody
to shoot at Chief Keef,
and there's evidence of it?"
When the last time you shot?
What was the last person
you shot?
I know you, Blood.
It's bad enough to do it
on the phone.
You did it on camera.
And then put the video
on the internet.
I mean, there's an extent
to which I just never thought
that anybody could be
that stupid.
I told him, like,
"You can't do that."
I've been through this before
in jail.
It's different if you
in a gun-carrying state.
If you showing that
and you're in New York,
I ain't that silly.
I ain't silly like that,
you know what I'm saying?
I didn't think about having
too much fun with this.
I was all business.
Is it that serious?
Oh, it's more
than that serious.
I mean, this is lights out.
He's facing life in prison.
The federal prosecutors,
the FBI,
the U.S. attorney's office,
especially the southern
district of New York,
I mean,
they don't play around.
You know, this is not NYPD.
This is Department of Justice.
When they come after you,
it's a major problem.
It's a major case.
[metal detector beeps]
[Brendan]
It wasn't until his court date
that you realized,
like, what actually happened
over and over again.
Innocent people were in danger
because of Tekashi
and his crew.
The years that he was facing,
I believe it was 47 to life.
-[horns honking]
-[person] This is crazy.
[gunshot]
[Brendan] A lot
of the shootings and robberies
that end up coming
into that case,
even I was unaware of.
As I'm filing reports
from the courthouse,
statements came out
that made it very clear
that by the time of his arrest
and for months preceding that,
things were, like,
truly out of control.
[DJ Pvnch] We didn't know
how far that he would go.
We didn't really know.
You're just sitting there
just hoping.
Watching him
like it's television.
Every single gangster movie
you saw,
every gangster goes,
"Yo, just don't say nothing."
Never give up your friends,
Dave.
You think I'm a fucking rat?
And always keep
your mouth shut.
You're a gangster, right?
That's what a gangster
would do.
I've been
in that predicament before.
I know how to handle it.
So what you gonna do now?
You gonna stand tall for it?
Or you gonna fall for it?
We learned very fa--
you know, in the case,
that he agreed to cooperate
from 24 hours inside jail.
[attorney] He signed
a cooperation agreement.
His cooperation agreement
allows the judge
to sentence him to much below
his standard
federal sentencing guidelines.
[DJ Pvnch] I think it goes down
really clearly why he did.
To get Shotti.
And all I will say
to all of this is,
money changes people to ways
that some of us will
never understand.
Attention makes people
into very, very ugly variations
of who they can be.
And clout is turning
into the devil.
And once you mix
any of these three up
to someone who's not prepared
to deal with it,
betrayal is amongst
your future.
[indistinct chatter]
Ay, ay, ay.
Treyway.
Yo, let's go to the plane.
Hey, let's go check it out.
This is what...
[indistinct]
[jet engine roaring]
[DJ Pvnch] Shotti used to bring
his boys with us
on show dates.
[indistinct chatter]
'Cause he was so excited
to show them the world,
'cause Shotti was like, "Yo,
when I grew up, I saw nothing."
Shotti's going to jail
for 15 years.
His sons are young teenagers.
When Shotti come out of jail,
if he does the 15 years,
his sons are 30.
You lose your life
from this shit.
I don't think that people
really understand sometimes
what jail
and how much time they get
and how much it's affected
and the echoes
of what a jail sentence can do
to a family or to someone.
If you hate Shotti
and Shotti stole money
and fucked your girl
and that's the narrative
that he wants to run with,
then hang Shotti.
I would actually
understand that more.
If he had enough pride
not to snitch on anybody else
and went at Shotti,
then I'd go,
"We was in his emotions
and wanted to fuck
that guy over
that allegedly
fucked him over."
But he put everyone in jail.
He literally confirmed
about nearly--
something about everyone
that put 'em all in jail.
[Brendan]
You just don't snitch, man.
He has a remarkable ability
to see himself as the victim.
Doesn't really matter
who was hurt.
[attorney] ...what's been
marked for identification
as Government Exhibit 202.
[Brendan] Eventually,
lawyers started talking
about the "GUMMO" music video.
[Seqo] I was shocked.
He labeled my home,
my grandmother's house,
Blood headquarters
when it's not that.
It's never been that.
Never known to be that.
[Billy] Stuff he did is
just horrible.
You know,
what he's carrying on about,
it's just disgusting, you know?
You've gotta have some sympathy
for people who risked
their life for you,
people who didn't even know you
from a can of paint.
Nobody was helping theyself.
They was just believing
in your dream
and helping you build
your career, you know?
It's sad.
Really is.
[Tekashi]
Harv, Anthony Ellison.
[DJ Pvnch]
A lot of people then go,
"Yo, what you would've done?
What you would've done?"
And they always do that
and devil's advocate
and be like--if you're not
asking someone
that's a gang member,
that question is null and void.
What I would've done?
We a civilian.
I do whatever I want.
I didn't sign up for that life.
He signed up for it
voluntarily.
And he turned as dishonorable
as you probably can get
to now where he might be
the most famous cooperator
and snitch to ever walk
the face of this earth.
[shutter clicks]
solemn music
He didn't wanna own up
to anything.
He wanted the easier way out.
What do we say to that?
No one really has an answer
for it
because at that point,
devil's advocate can't
work anymore.
It exposes him indirectly
for what he is,
which is, "I'll sacrifice
other people's lives
for the betterment of my own."
Still blessed. I'm free.
I'm still lit.
I didn't get caught up
in all the stupidness they did.
I wasn't there for any of it.
I'm thankful to be free.
That's all.
I'm not worried
about driving a Bugatti.
I don't care about no Bugatti.
None of that shit.
[laughs]
I'm more than blessed.
He don't even know.
dramatic music
[Giancarlo] It's fucked up.
And it doesn't really
make sense how it happens.
Every supervillain has
this ability
to keep getting away.
Just when you think
it's all but over
and the villain is
finally being served justice,
they somehow escape...
...getting everything back.
And then some.
[chuckles]
Slippery fuckers.
tense music
[person] Tekashi has been
released from prison.
[Ron] I would fear for him
coming back to New York.
[Adam 22] You know, he's got,
like, a whole city
wanting to kill him.
[Sara] His life is in danger.
Somebody's gonna kill him.
[Seqo] Yeah, you know
he's in danger.
Never know who might wanna do
something to him
who would do it for the clout,
who don't give a damn.
[interviewer]
Did you write music
while you were in prison?
[Tekashi] Yeah.
Yeah, I actually wrote "GOOBA"
in jail.
The first part was...
Niggas always wanna talk
about some gangster shit
But never went to jail
for no gangster shit
They can't wait
for times like this
To rhyme like this
so they can
Lie about that
and lie about this
Screaming murder,
murder, murder
But ain't murder shit
Nigga, if you're
gun busting
Who the fuck you hit?
Who the fuck you ever rob
when you did your bit?
Who the fuck you ever drop,
nigga, suck my dick
See the vibes
and all that, man?
First day home.
You see the vibes, man?
That's how we push, man.
King of New York's home, man.
All this shit was bought, man.
Y'all rent.
We don't rent, man.
All this shit mine, man.
You heard?
Quarantine, man.
This how I quarantine, man.
I'm on house arrest.
Come on, let's go.
You know why people so mad?
They thought it was over
for me.
They counting me out.
"Yo, you ratted?
[trills]
It's over for you."
I would be mad too.
You're mad, I'm back,
big mad
He's mad, she's mad,
big sad
Ha-ha, don't care,
stay mad
Ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha
Ha-ha, bitch, I'm laughing
'cause you big mad
See it in your face,
cry baby, bitch, you big sad
Niggas tweeting 'bout me,
got me trending,
bitch, you big sad
Tell me how I ratted,
came home to a big bag
[Joe]
This little manipulative fuck.
-[Rory] Mm-hmm.
-Back to manipulating.
He manipulated
the gang culture.
Then I think he took that
and he manipulated
the court system.
And I think
the broader picture is
all an effort to manipulate
hip-hop culture.
-[cohost] Yeah.
-Mm-hmm.
Nah.
[laughs]
[Adam 22] He's trying
to convince everybody
that, actually, it was cool
for him to snitch.
"Actually, it was cool
for me to put,
like, 15 people in jail"
that, realistically,
a lot of them were
total loyal servants to him.
You know, people
who shot people for him.
[Cardi]
The crimes that you commit...
and then when you get
locked up,
you're going to snitch.
It doesn't work like that.
Tough-ass niggas.
-Point niggas out in court.
-[cohost] It's crazy.
You're a rat.
R-A-T, a rat.
Man, I don't even know
what these kids doing
these days, bro,
with this music.
So maybe they condone
the snitching,
but, you know, my generation,
we ain't fucking with that.
[Brendan]
In the hip-hop community,
snitching is
traditionally seen
as something
that you just don't do.
But the people who are
paying attention to Tekashi
are young people
who do not know or care
about the, like, traditional
terms of engagement.
To me, it's a race thing,
you know?
Society is just
accepting things.
You can clearly see them.
He did a lot
of messed up stuff,
and just 'cause he don't care,
they're saying it isn't.
He's laughing
and he's laughing it off
and he thinks it's cool,
they're saying, "Okay,
if he don't care,
then why should we care?
He's gonna laugh it off too."
And that's not cool.
Lives gone for nothing.
The most tangible way
to look at it is,
you know, he gets arrested
with a bunch of Black guys,
and those guys are
still in prison,
and the one person
who's not Black is not.
To me, it seemed a lot like
our legal system operating
as intended.
[Tekashi] Y'all really thought
it was over.
And I know
when I was locked up,
y'all prayed every night like,
"God, please.
God, please don't let him
come home and be lit again.
God, please, every time I open
the Gram, all I see is him."
Y'all wasting prayers, homey.
[Adam 22] 6ix9ine, right now,
is in a weird place.
You look at him,
he's really somebody
who's, like, created
a character
that doesn't need
to reference back
to the history of rap music,
that doesn't need
to reference back
to really anything, you know?
Y'all can't do the shit I do.
Get this.
That's a million in cash
right there.
A million in cash.
A million in cash.
Y'all real niggas
can't do that.
[Adam 22]
It's a situation where, like,
none of the elites will have
anything to do with him,
but then the populace
as a whole
apparently really,
really likes him.
[cheers and applause]
Y'all egged him on.
Y'all just fed him.
That shit made him wanna
do it more and more and more.
I'm saying,
the fans just provoked it.
[cheers and applause]
[Tekashi] Number one, nigga!
Didn't I tell you, nigga?
Didn't I tell you, nigga?
Fuck you!
I can't be stopped, nigga!
Didn't I tell you?
Stop playing with me.
And we got blackballed.
Y'all try to blackball me
on radio.
Y'all try to blackball me
on radio.
-Uh-huh, uh-huh.
-Apple Music, Spotify,
they didn't give us
no playlisting.
-Fuck are they talking about?
-I can't be stopped, nigga!
I can't be stopped!
Number fucking one, nigga!
-Daddy's bugging!
-And for the fans?
Listen.
And this for the fans.
This shit can't be possible
without y'all.
We beat the industry.
I know they told you,
"I'ma get the number one."
We beat the industry.
Fuck is y'all talking 'bout?
-I can't be stopped!
-Let's fucking go!
dramatic music
Truth?
Man, this story don't got
a lot to do with that.
[laughs]
I mean, this is
a post-truth story.
Because if we were
to really look
at, like, who 6ix9ine is
and the fans were concerned
with who he really is,
then I don't think
y'all would be
making a documentary about him,
because the truth of who he is
isn't nearly as interesting
as the mask that he decided
to throw on.
[Rory] Well, he was projected
at 150,
and now currently,
at this time,
he's projected for 35K.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
You can be the numbers guy
all day and say,
"Yo, my video got
5 billion views today."
Does it really have
tangible results?
They'll click on it.
They'll watch a video
on Instagram
and watch you acting crazy
and do whatever you do,
but they not gonna go
and support the music.
[Adam 22]
The public has turned against
a lot of the stuff that was
popping at that time.
It doesn't seem
like people are
necessarily super interested
in, you know, the next
green-haired face tattoo kid.
The appetite is more
for authenticity and talent
over sorta sensationalism.
[Brendan]
Authenticity in hip-hop is
a long-standing tradition,
and hip-hop culture has
been around here
for a lot longer than he has.
And I don't think he's gonna
have a whole lot of influence
in the genre moving forward.
Hip-hop culture is
more resilient.
He makes the kind of music
that's captivating
the first time.
I don't know that it's
captivating the second,
and it's just tiring.
Now he's in a weird spot
because he's very invested
in the idea
that he's, like,
the most popular artist alive.
And if the numbers don't
show that,
he doesn't matter so much.
[Adam 22] He's gonna run out
of tricks at a certain point.
I can already see him
picking fights with Drake,
and it's like, how much beefing
can you really do
walking around
with off-duty cops,
it's like, a straight-up,
like, circle
of ten giant humans,
3,000 pounds of humans,
so nobody can get at you,
without people just being like,
"Oh, all right,
this is all just jokes."
[Brendan] He's a product
of the time.
The bigger forces at play here
where, like, someone exploited
a very specific
emotional response
to become
extraordinarily popular
extraordinarily quickly,
they haven't gone away.
I think you're gonna see
more Tekashis
in terms of, like,
the internet making,
like, incredibly compelling
celebrity figures
on a very accelerated timeline.
I don't think
I would have covered Tekashi
if there wasn't clearly
a large group of people
in America
who were fascinated by him.
My fascination is with
their fascination.
[Giancarlo]
Supervillains are a reflection
of the society
that creates them.
Through their miraculous rise
and tragic fall,
we are actually able to learn
about who we are becoming
as a culture.
At the end of the day,
we all have a fascination
with the controversial.
All of the nightly news
and cringeworthy clickbait.
And every true
cultural supervillain
knows how to exploit
these dark fascinations.
Until their tricks get old
and we become desensitized.
And finally,
they fade into irrelevance.
None.
At all.
I can't name one.
He doesn't really know nothing
about hip-hop.
You put on old Biggie
and stuff,
he don't even know the lyrics,
and you from Brooklyn
right there.
How you don't know the lyrics
to Biggie Smalls,
no matter how old you are?
And it's crazy
that he's using the culture.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.
I got everybody."
It's a big game to him,
you know?
He doesn't understand,
like, being a real man
and understanding
real principles and morals,
you know what I mean, so...
one day, I guess he'll grow up.
The Bee Gees'
"I Started a Joke" playing
somber '70s ballad
I started a joke
Which started
the whole world crying
But I didn't see
That the joke was on me
Oh, no
I started to cry
Which started
the whole world laughing
Oh, if I'd only seen
That the joke was on me
Look at my city.
Take a look at my city.
That's my city right there.
These people love me.
Look. Look all around.
Look all around.
music distorts and stops
Oh, and by the way,
if you trying to pause
the video and screenshot,
by the time I uploaded this,
I'm already gone.
[laughter echoing]
dramatic music