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In September, rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was back in his element: blowing up the Internet. Abandoning his brand as a professional agitator, Instagram celebrity became a star witness to the federal government and gave extensive testimony about fellow rappers and his former crew, the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
But when 6ix9ine – whose real name is Daniel Hernandez – left the witness stand on Thursday, he entered an uncertain future.
The debacle has almost eviscerated Mr. Hernandez's credibility in rap, where other artists have called him a "snitch". His security is similarly suspect; The Nine Trey Band has not always kindly agreed to be dubbed and has already threatened to kill him once.
"I knew I would become a target," he told the court. "I knew they were going to try to hurt me."
Mr. Hernandez appeared in court to testify against two of his ex-confidants, Anthony Ellison, 31, and Aljermiah Mack, 33, as part of a vast case of racketeering and weapons at fire brought by prosecutors against the gang last year. For hours last week, Hernandez guided the jury in the workings of Nine Trey, a Rikers Island prison band established in the 1990s.
In doing so, the rapper may have decimated any goodwill that he had left in the rap industry, becoming both a hit line and an outcast – the subject of the intense online vitriol of his peers. at the time, who were amazed at the amount of information Mr. Hernandez had provided.
Artists such as Snoop Dogg, Future and Lil Durk shared memes or sharp words denouncing 6ix9ine as keen, with Meek Mill writing: "The message of the day is not a gangsta on the Internet … be welcome!" even!"
Minya Oh, better known as Miss Info, founder of hip-hop news website MissInfo.tv and former host of Hot 97 rap radio station in New York, called the 6ix9ine saga a "Greek tragicomedy telenovela" . he would be confronted with a complex enigma during his release: curiosity would be at its highest level, but within the hip-hop community, it would be the same for Animus.
"In the attention economy, just knowing that 6ix9ine could open your mouth somewhere is like shipping platinum," she said. "But no one with his own worth will ever be next to him. He must exist in a vacuum and can not leave his house. Everything is feasible for an artist in 2019. "
Labels would be reluctant to let their artists work with him, added Ms. Oh, "But they all think that when he gets out of jail, he'll be a big draw."
Its usefulness as an informant has an inevitable expiration date. The trials of Mr. Ellison and Mr. Mack are expected to end in a few days, and it is unclear whether Mr. Hernandez would testify in any other lawsuit that may arise from the government case against Nine Trey. .
Prosecutors have indicated that he could participate in the witness protection program.
Such a path would not be unprecedented. The government has successfully relocated and protected leading witnesses in the past; Gangsters have resumed their business as bakery owners and reformed killers have found new careers as doll sellers, said two former federal law enforcement officials.
"Despite our connection and appetite for social media content in this country, there are places where, if this child cuts his hair and wears normal clothesno one would care or care who he is, "said Jay Kramer, a former F.B.I. an official who worked on organized crime cases.
In Mr. Hernandez's background, there is virtually nothing to suggest discretion, and it is unlikely that the US Marshals' department, which manages the witness protection program, would pay for the abduction. face tattoos bearing the signature of Mr. Hernandez.
The rapper, whose rainbow-colored hair has become black, has turned into a thoughtful and conscientious narrator in court. He frequently paused to translate the street slang to the jury and showed flashes of disarming naivety – he asked the lawyers to explain big words and asked for clarification on the issues.
The fact that Mr. Hernandez landed in prison because of his affiliation with Nine Trey is less surprising than his reinvention as an informant.
The Bushwick native joined the gang in 2017, he said after his first international tour in Eastern Europe. At the time, Mr. Hernandez's strange mix of heavy metal and hip-hop was confusing and appealing to the rap world.
But his style changed dramatically that year, when he returned to Brooklyn and partnered with the Nine Trey gang. His single "GUMMO", which takes place on several stages, contains several alleged members of Nine Trey in the video clip of the song, which became viral.
"That's what people liked," he said of gang affiliation. "It was just a formula, a plan that I found that worked."
Hernandez, who had amassed a gigantic Internet connection, became a kind of cash cow for the Nine Trey leadership, he said, including Ellison and Kifano (Shotti) Jordan. The two garnered tens of thousands of dollars thanks to Hernandez's performance, he said.
Mr. Jordan pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges earlier this year in the case and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Mr. Hernandez's profitability has made him a coveted symbol of the Nine Trey hierarchy, prosecutors said. Mr. Ellison and Mr. Jordan began to fight over the rapper's career, resulting in Mr. Ellison abducting and stealing Mr. Hernandez last summer.
"I'm begging him," Hernandez said of the incident. "I'm like, 'Yo, I'm scared, I have a girl, I have a 3 year old girl at home."
"I was tired of being extorted," he said.
His repudiation was significant enough for the gang to start discussing how to punish Mr. Hernandez for his disloyalty, according to phone tapping. The threats were deemed credible and the officials of the F.B.I. visited Mr Hernandez to offer him protection, which he refused.
A few days later, Mr. Hernandez and 11 other prominent Nine Trey members were arrested and charged in the racketeering and firearms case.
Twenty-four hours later, Mr. Hernandez canceled his previous statement to the F.B.I. He agreed to testify against his former crew.
Joe Coscarelli contributed to the reports.
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