Tekashi69 Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Tekashi69’s Net Worth?

With a net worth of $500 thousand, Tekashi69 is an American rapper, social media personality, and convicted felon. He ranks among the most controversial figures in the rap scene, both for his music and his personal life. In 2015, he entered a guilty plea for a felony involving the use of a child in a sexual performance. Following that, in 2018, he faced arrest due to racketeering, weapons possession, drug offenses, and a conspiracy charge for murder. To secure a lighter two-year sentence, Tekashi testified against members of his previous gang. He was released ahead of schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently placed under house arrest.

Despite the brevity of his career thus far, Tekashi has managed to generate substantial income. He reportedly signed multiple contracts for appearances that together could total tens of millions of dollars. Detailed financial analysis for Tekashi will follow in the next section.

Financial Issues

On a monthly basis, Tekashi69’s financial situation is somewhat challenging to ascertain. Undoubtedly, he has entered into numerous multi-million dollar contracts for records and concerts. Additionally, he has accrued millions in streaming royalties, mainly due to the success of his YouTube channel, which boasts 20 million followers and over 5 billion views.

Conversely, following his prison sentence, Tekashi’s career essentially faced a two-year pause.

In March 2022, Tekashi filed documents with a court indicating serious financial struggles stemming from the loss of income caused by the hiatus in his career. He reported a complete lack of royalty income and the inability to earn through touring.

Specifically, his court filing expressed:

“At the moment, I am finding it tough to make ends meet. I am uncertain whether I will ever receive the kind of advances I was getting prior to my arrest and the halt of my career.“

These documents formed part of a civil lawsuit initiated by two former associates. He further stated that proceeding with the lawsuit could lead to his “bankruptcy.”

Just one month later, Tekashi69 shared a video on Instagram displaying millions in cash and at least a million dollars’ worth of cars:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

@6ix9ine shared a post

The day after he uploaded the above video on Instagram, Tekashi made an appearance on “TMZ Live.” When Harvey Levin directly questioned him about how he could showcase such a large amount of cash while also telling a judge he was financially struggling, the following dialogue unfolded:

Harvey Levin:

“You owe the court around a million dollars in restitution, and you’ve informed a judge that you simply don’t have it.“

Harvey’s co-host interjected:

“Your attorney mentioned you might need to consider filing for bankruptcy.“

Harvey added:

“So, how can you spend two million dollars? Aren’t you at risk of having those funds seized?“

Tekashi responded:

“I don’t have it now. I don’t have it. That was fake money.“

Early Life

Born on May 8, 1996, Daniel Hernandez, known as Tekashi69, came into the world in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York. His mother hails from Mexico while his father is Puerto Rican. He met his father for the first time at the age of nine, having previously thought he was deceased. The truth was that Daniel Sr. was a heroin addict serving time in prison.

Later on, his father would assert that Daniel Jr.’s maternal family obstructed Daniel Sr. from visiting him, even going as far as destroying the letters he sent from prison.

The family’s financial situation was challenging, particularly after Daniel’s stepfather was fatally shot on the front steps of their home in 2010, the year Daniel turned 14. This tragedy inflicted significant psychological harm, leading Daniel to seek therapy for PTSD and depression. Around this period, he also began misbehaving in school, resulting in his expulsion in the 8th grade. Following his departure from school, Daniel took on a job at a grocery store to support his family financially.

Rap Career

At the age of 16, Daniel started his rapping journey. A pivotal moment came when he met the CEO of a record label, who visited the Brooklyn bodega where Daniel was employed. That executive, Peter “Righteous P” Rogers, ran a label named Hikari-Ultra. He encouraged Daniel to start releasing his original tracks.

His inaugural song, aptly named “69”, was launched in 2014, followed by a series of additional singles that year. Over the next three years, Daniel, who later adopted the moniker Tekashi 6ix9ine, produced a collection of albums and videos that garnered him a moderate level of fame within the underground rap community. Following “Dummy Boy,” his 2018 album, Tekashi69 put out his second project, “TattleTales,” in 2020, which debuted at #4 on the U.S. “Billboard” 200.

Success

In 2018, Tekashi69 launched his debut mixtape, “Day69.” His first single “Gummo” achieved #6 on the US Rap chart, #7 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and #12 on the “Billboard” Hot 100, earning a Gold certification. Another of 6IX9INE’s singles, “Kooda,” also received a Gold certification and peaked at #29 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart and #50 on the “Billboard” Hot 100. His track “Keke,” featuring Fetty Wap and A Boogie wit da Hoodie, reached #20 on the US Rap chart, #22 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and #43 on the “Billboard” Hot 100.

Reported Record Deals

6IX9INE has frequently taken to social media to boast about various record and management contracts. In January 2018, he claimed in a now-deleted Instagram post that he had secured a $7.5 million record agreement. A month later, he alleged a management deal with Birdman’s RICHGANG company worth $15 million. Not long after, he stated he had signed a $4.9 million deal for a headphone endorsement. However, according to multiple record industry insiders we contacted, there is no substantiation to any of these claims.

$10 Million Deal

In October 2019, Tekashi finalized a confirmed record deal with 10K Projects, valued at a minimum of $10 million, which will encompass two future albums, one in English and another in Spanish.

GlobalStreamNow Deal

In July 2020, Tekashi disclosed that he had entered into a $5 million agreement with the live-streaming company GlobalStreamNow. This deal includes a virtual performance scheduled for September 5, 2020.

Legal issues

Tekashi69 has faced numerous arrests. In 2015, he admitted guilt to a felony count involving the use of a child in a sexual performance, resulting in three years of probation. He was exempt from registering as a sex offender provided he avoided posting explicit content online and obtained his GED, which he ultimately failed to accomplish. In July 2018, another arrest occurred due to an outstanding warrant tied to allegations of choking someone in a Houston mall.

In 2018, he faced charges related to weapons, drugs, and racketeering. To circumvent a potential 47-year prison sentence, he agreed to testify against a group of Nine Trey Bloods gang members. His testimony took place over several days in September 2019, where he stated that the Nine Trey Bloods allowed him to act like a member as long as he financially supported the gang. He also revealed that following the release of “Gummo,” he began generating approximately $60,000 monthly through YouTube royalties and live performances.

In December 2019, as part of a negotiated agreement with government prosecutors, he pled guilty.

As a result of his cooperation, the judge sentenced Tekashi to only 13 months in prison, while the gang members he testified against face life imprisonment.

On March 22, 2020, he sought early release due to the rampant COVID-19 virus within the prison system. The government did not contest this, leading to his release on April 2nd, earlier than his scheduled release set for August 2020.

In March 2023, reports emerged of Tekashi being assaulted in a steam room at an LA Fitness gym located in Palm Beach County, Florida. Social media shared videos of the incident, showing his facial injuries, and to date, one suspect maintained a not guilty plea to the charges.

Release

On May 8, 2020, Tekashi debuted his new track “Gooba” alongside a music video, which immediately broke the record for the largest 24-hour debut for a hip-hop video on YouTube. In the first 24 hours, the video amassed 40 million views, surpassing Eminem’s previous record of 38 million for “Killshot” set in 2018.

Within a week, “Gooba” achieved over 150 million views.

On that same day, May 8th, Tekashi69 hosted a live session on Instagram where more than two million viewers logged in simultaneously, exceeding the previous record by over 1.7 million.

With income from YouTube ad revenue, Spotify royalties, and additional sources, Tekashi claimed to have made $2 million from “Gooba” within a week, announcing he would donate 10% of the profits to charity.

Personal Life

Tekashi began a relationship with Rachel “Jade” Watley a few weeks prior to his imprisonment at the end of 2018. He has a daughter born in October 2015 with Sara Molina and another daughter born in November 2018 with Marlayna M.

Fluent in Spanish, Tekashi has recorded four songs in the language: “Bebe,” “Mala,” “Yaya,” and “Bori.” Additionally, he deals with asthma.

After his release, Tekashi settled into a modest home in Lido Beach. However, a neighbor leaked his location, prompting another move to Water Mill, New York. There, he resided in a sprawling 8,500-square-foot house with views of a tree farm, which was listed for rent at the time for $55,000.