This dude is beyond saving. Not everyone has a bright future. Once a person tattoos their face, their life is over. It's just a matter of time before they get the memo. Sad.
6
Something tells me he's going to have a hard time "blending in" once he's in witness protection.
11
Here's a few simple "Rules for Life" I subscribe to. Hopefully they can be of some use to others:
1) Never refer to yourself with a name that ends with he number "69";
2) Never get a tattoo on any part of your body above the chest; this includes, but is not limited to, the number "69" on your forehead;
3) Never curry favor with a gang that has the word "Gangsta" in its title;
4) Never give large amounts of money to people in said gangs
11
The host of The Breakfast Club tried to warn Tekashi about his choices during his first visit to the show https://youtu.be/LNjiBBCNkk0 and here's a dissection of the broadcast by Desus & Mero https://youtu.be/fgnhU_qA4RQ
7
If you want to impress legions of bored white suburban teenage listeners, join a gang, and they’ll think you’re cool. A good strategy until one realizes that gangs are actually full of lost dangerous souls.
14
This is all quite confusing to me. The Times, Washington Post and others seem to devote an inordinate amount of time and "ink" on this person. Why?
6
@Brian
The Times and the Washington Post like to sneak-a-peek into areas they know little about and will have even less follow-up or analysis around. But in the sense that criminal activity has always been splashed across news pages from Al Capone to many better and lesser known this seems to fall within that tradition. But it is also a cautionary tale to those who may think it is all a music video and they can keep one foot in and one foot outside the streets. Once you reach a certain monetary level you become and remain prey.
3
A little surprised by the banality of responses here. A Bach reference? C'mon. Either way, he is barely 23 years old now, likely 21 during many of the events listed. His father was killed when he was a teen, he was expelled, he sold drugs, and he involved himself with a gang for more clout and influence in our strange society, one that lends itself to this type of winner takes all circus.
17
Bach, Beethoven, Stravinsky and Copland looked elsewhere for their inspiration. They weren't concerned about "authenticity, "street credibility" or a "guarantee" of musical stardom.
They wrote from the heart, not the gutter. Maybe that's why their music has lasting appeal. Daniel Hernandez? Take away the tattoos and videos, and what's left?
17
This sounds so fantastical to be believed, not that I doubt the veracity of the witnesses.
How could a grown man who seemingly had never engaged in gang activity think that aligning himself with such depravity would end well? It must be the social media-induced mania and drive for fame.
If people hadn’t been hurt or killed, I’d say that this is all so ridiculous; however, the reality is that this is how some desperate people exist - it’s definitely not living a full life.
13
@Sherry - It's not very different from "finding religion."
Death is not a consequence anymore. A major theme amongst the SoundCloud rap phenomenon were lyrics that portrayed a willingness (or acceptance) to die young. Several of this man’s peers have done just that, via overdose or being robbed and killed. They live in infamy online forever, which is all they really wanted anyway.
7
I would like to hear more about pre-gang Tekashi. He seems pretty naive to the consequences of tying his career and finances to a gang that was struggling to manage their own internal structure before he ever showed up to support.
16
@Renee Watch his first Angie Martinez interview. His dad died right in front of him, he had ptsd and stopped showering, eating, etc. Then his brother got killed right in front of him. The kid has been through a lot of trauma and we're seeing the results of his linking up with other traumatized and lost souls.
10
Making a deal with the devil is still a bad idea.
27