With weird, Herzogian moments and steeped in NYC terroir, this portrait of
Rapper 6ix9ine has much to offer even non-fans
Independent film-maker Vikram Gandhi tells a truly all-American rags-to-riches-to-documentary-fodder story, one intensely grounded in the terroir of
New York City, about his Bushwick neighbour Tekashi69, AKA 6ix9ine, AKA Danny Hernandez.
Those over the age of 30 who are not au fait with what the kids are into these days may be less familiar with Hernandez’s story, and thus why he might be deserving of a documentary, so here are the key facts. Raised in poverty in Brooklyn’s not-yet-gentrified Bushwick, he went from working in a bodega to becoming a rap superstar notorious for his facial tattoos, rainbow-coloured hair, sexually explicit videos and gangster attitude. After several earlier brushes with the law, including pleading guilty to using a child in a sexual performance, he was arrested in 2018 on a number of charges including racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder and armed robbery, so he flipped on his own crew, the Nine Trey gang, got a reduced sentence and was later released from
prison into home confinement because of the Covid outbreak.