Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine To Go To Prison For Racketeering After Flipping On Gang Members

Rapper Daniel Hernandez, better known by his stage name Tekashi 6ix9ine, was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday. 

The 23-year-old Brooklyn hip-hop artist previously pleaded guilty to racketeering, weapons and drug trafficking charges associated with numerous shootings and beatings throughout New York City, according to CNN.

Additionally, the performer, known for his technicolored-hair and association with Nine Trey Gansta Bloods gang, must serve five years of supervised probation and complete 300 hours of community service.

In Manhattan federal court, the rapper expressed contrition and vowed he would exit prison a reformed man. He also personally addressed a woman who told the court that she had been struck by a stray bullet during a 2018 shooting in which Hernandez was involved.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you that day," Hernandez said.

While Hernandez was facing a maximum prison sentence of 37 years for the charges, federal prosecutors were swayed by his cooperation with law enforcement and cited Hernandez's testimony against two former reputed Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, Anthony Ellison and Aljermiah Mack, as "extraordinary" and "extremely useful," The New York Times reported. 

The artist's decision to testify against his former crime partners earned him the disgraced reputation as a snitch by various luminary rappers, including Snoop Dogg.

Hernandez's attorney Lance Lazzaro argued to have him sentenced to time served, stressing that it took courage for Hernandez to provide law enforcement with an "insider's view" of the gang.

Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, however, noted that Hernandez's behavior was “too violent” and "too reckless" for him to be set him free, The New York Times reported.

“I have no doubt that the process of cooperation has for you been cathartic,” Engelmayer said, according to Rolling Stone. “For all these reasons you deserve a very substantial reduction.”