After Tekashi 6ix9ine was arrested in November on suspicion of conspiring with gang members to commit multiple weapons, racketeering and assault charges, his attorney declared that the 22-year-old rapper would most definitely not cooperate with authorities in order to bargain for reduced charges or a lighter sentence.
In mid-December, attorney Lance Lazzaro told a writer with Rolling Stone that the Brooklyn-reared Tekashi, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, had no intention of cooperating with authorities.
“Under no circumstances” would he do so, Lazzaro added to Rolling Stone.
But maybe Tekashi has had a change of heart. TMZ reported Wednesday that three known associates of Tekashi have been indicted in connection with the attempted murder of the rapper’s rival Chief Keef in June.
TMZ added that Tekashi “dropped the dime” on one of these associates for the shooting that took place early in the morning of June 1, outside a hotel in Times Square.
Tekashi certainly has reason to cooperate. He’s facing a mandatory minimum 32 years in prison if convicted of all six counts.
The Rolling Stone story also suggested that Tekashi wasn’t a hard-core member of the violent Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods street gang, as alleged by federal prosecutors.
Friends and music collaborators told Rolling Stone that Tekashi wasn’t in a gang as of 2017 or early 2018; he just acted like a gangster in his videos, they said.
Newsweek reported that the new charges against Tekashi’s associates, related to the Keef shooting, were not part of the original indictment against him.
Police told TMZ in June that two men in hoodies fired at Keef outside the hotel, but missed. TMZ also reportedthat police immediately began to look at whether Tekashi was involved in the attempted hit.
Following Tekashi’s arrest, federal authorities also began reviewing the evidence in Keef’s shooting. Prosecutors said the rapper’s social media posts could be used as evidence against him. That apparently includes a video of Tekashi boasting to his “crew” about putting a $30,000 bounty of Keef’s cousin, Tadoe, after ending a FaceTime call with him, according to TMZ.
On Wednesday, TMZ reported that the new indictments involve Kintea McKenzie, Anthony Ellison and Demard Butler. TMZ said McKenzie (aka “Kooda B”) was indicted right after Tekashi spoke with investigators and identified him as the person who fired at Keef in Times Square.
Law enforcement sources also told TMZ that McKenzie was allegedly paid $10,000 to shoot Keef.
TMZ said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has declined to comment on Tekashi’s possible cooperation with authorities. TMZ also said Lazzaro has not responded to a request for comment on whether his client is looking for a plea deal.
McKenzie is not yet in custody, while Ellison was arrested earlier in connection with allegedlykidnapping and assaulting Tekashi in July. TMZ also said federal ATF agents arrested Butler on Wednesday. Both Ellison and Butler were expected to appear in court Wednesday afternoon for arraignment.
Since his arrest, Tekashi has been sitting in federal lockup awaiting trial. The six counts against him include assault and conspiracy to commit murder, as well as the accusation that he’s a gang member.
According to the Rolling Stone story, Tekashi enjoyed one the most confounding and rapid ascents to superstardom and platinum-level record sales in recent memory.
But writer Stephen Witt concluded that rise was fueled less by Tekashi’s music than on his becoming “the troll prince” of hip-hop who regularly feuded on social media with music rivals, including with Chief Keef.
One label executive notably called Tekashi “the Donald Trump of the music industry,” whose 15.6 million followers on Instagram loved to check in on his latest provocation or outrage.
As Witt and others say, it’s likely that Tekashi’s career is over, given that it’s hard to imagine how he would be able to fulfill his reported vow of recording music from a prison cell.
Prisons also aren’t known for letting inmates have smartphones so they can update their social media accounts.
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