Showtime, Rolling Stone Partnering Up For Tekashi 6ix9ine Documentary, ‘Supervillain’

Showtime Documentary Films announced this week an upcoming docu-series about the life and career pf polarizing rap artist Tekashi 6ix9ine.

The 23-year-old rapper, born Daniel Hernandez, had his monumental rise to fame halted last year when he was arrested on federal racketeering and firearm charges. His decision to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against his former associates in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods made him a much-maligned figure in the music industry, and his swift fall from grace — a transformation from a record-breaking hip hop rebel to the subject of memes and target of social media backlash — will be traced in Showtime’s “Supervillian.”

The three-part limited series will profile Hernandez’s life and career, and will include interviews with those who are close to him, the network announced Thursday. The series takes its inspiration from Rolling Stone’s “Tekashi 6ix9ine: The Rise and Fall of a Hip Hop Supervillain,” a feature penned by journalist Stephen Witt, who will also executive produce the series, alongside Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment, Justin Wilkes and Sara Bernstein of Imagine Documentaries, Rolling Stones’ president and COO Gus Wenner, and Lightbox’s Jonathan and Simon Chinn. Imagine Documentaries, Rolling Stone, and Lightbox will produce.

“The bizarre and complicated rise of Tekashi 6six9ine is a story of our times,” said Vinnie Malhotra, Showtime’s executive vice president of nonfiction programming. “Beyond becoming one of the most notorious hip hop artists of this generation, his story speaks volumes of the impact of social media and manufactured celebrity in our society. We’re excited to be partnering with such heavy hitters in the world of music and documentary to bring Supervillain to life.”

A release date for “Supervillain” has yet to be announced.

Those who are curious about Hernandez’ life will soon have a multitude of viewing options, it seems. In addition to “Supervillian,” there are at least two other documentaries in the works about his rise to stardom. The popular social media app Snapchat announced last month “Tekashi69 VS The World,” a documentary series about Hernandez’s life that’s set to debut on the app this fall, Variety reports.

Rapper 50 Cent will also be adding his own project to the slew of upcoming Tekashi 6ix9ine content with the production of “A Moment in Time,” described by Variety as a scripted docu-series that will chronicle not only 50 Cent’s own courtroom battles, but the famous cases of other A-listers, including Hernandez.

Hernandez was initially facing up to 47 years in prison but, after telling all on the stand, is hoping for a reduced sentence when he returns to court on Dec. 18, according to Page Six.

While a number of outlets, including The New York Times, have reported that Hernandez may need to enter the witness protection program after his release (thanks to his revealing three-day testimony that led to the conviction of numerous gang members), sources close to the rapper have reported that he is planning to resume his career and already has a multi-million dollar record deal in place for his next two albums.