Tekashi 6ix9ine is many things: a rapper, an infamous snitch, a creep, and a criminal.
He is easily recognized for his clown-like appearance, and was released from prison last year — due to COVID-19 concerns.
Tekashi is also accused of being a calculated social media “mastermind” who has deliberately micromanaged online perceptions of him for years.
We’re not kidding. He’s accused of being a horrible human being and some kind of PR genius, and there’s a whole documentary about it.
Karam Gill is the director of the documentary, Supervillain, and spoke to Page Six about it and about Tekashi 6ix9ine.
Tekashi is allegedly “truly a horrible human being” devoid of both morals and talent … save for being a social media savant who can “spark a reaction” at will.
“I think viewers will be shocked to realize how hyper calculated” the rapper is, Karam teases.
“Tekashi was someone who never did anything online on accident,” Karam Gill described.
He added: “Every click, word and action online was designed with care to spark a reaction.”
Karam apparently sees Tekashi as a symptom or the toxicity in this period of history.
Karam confessed: “I never really wanted to explore Tekashi’s story specifically.”
“And,” he added, “actually was hesitant about the project at first because of how he has been such a toxic individual in our culture.
“From a wider scope, I realized it’s an extremely important story that shines a light on where we are as a culture,” he explained of his change of heart.
Karam detailed: “We’re living in the era of manufactured celebrity, where people can create inauthentic online personas and rise to fame without any talent or morals.”
“Tekashi’s story is exactly that,” he expressed.
Karam added: “he’s someone who realized the power of having your own platform.”
“I was surprised to find out how much of a social media mastermind [Tekashi] truly was,” Karam remarked.
He gave praise of a sort, saying: “His understanding of how human beings operate on these platforms is incredible.”
“The public and media hates him because he is truly a horrible human being who has done terrible things,” Karam noted.
“And from an overall perspective,” Karam described, “he loves to instigate and aggravate which is something that naturally sparks a reaction.”
“I have never met him nor spoken with him,” Karam confirmed.
“The interview we have in the film is from unreleased post-prison tapes that our larger production team acquired,” he explained.
Karam explained his intentions: “To me this project was an opportunity to capture this time in human history.”
He described now as “a time where we have seen pop culture figures, and even presidents, shape their own realities and manipulate us all through digital media.”
That’s chillingly accurate.
Tekashi’s real name is Daniel Hernandez, and he was sentenced to two years in prison in 2018 for racketeering and other charges.
Upon his release, he immediately threatened to release new music, recording a new single while on home confinement and shattering YouTube records with the song, “GOOBA.” Ugh.
Recently, Tekashi nearly came to reported blows with longtime foe Meek Mill in an Atlanta parking lot. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to “use of a child in a sexual performance” as part of a plea deal. Gross human being.