Tekashi69 Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Tekashi69’s Net Worth?

With a net worth estimated at $500 thousand, Tekashi69 is an American rapper, social media figure, and convicted criminal. He stands out as one of the most contentious rappers globally, not just because of his music but also his life choices. In 2015, he admitted guilt to a felony for involving a minor in a sexual performance. Then in 2018, he faced arrest on charges including racketeering, weapons, drugs, and conspiracy to commit murder. His cooperation in testifying against gang affiliates secured him a shorter two-year sentence. Early release came due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to his house arrest.

Despite a relatively short career thus far, Tekashi has amassed impressive earnings. He is reported to have secured multiple contracts and appearances, potentially totaling tens of millions of dollars. The following paragraph will delve deeper into his financial dealings.

Financial Issues

When it comes to Tekashi69’s finances, they can be somewhat unpredictable from month to month. It’s clear that he has landed several multi-million dollar contracts for records and concerts. Additionally, he has accrued millions from streaming royalties, largely owed to his YouTube channel, which boasts 20 million followers and over 5 billion views.

Conversely, his incarceration essentially halted his career for two years.

In March 2022, Tekashi filed documents in court indicating considerable financial distress stemming from his income loss, primarily caused by the two-year interruption to his career. He stated that he was not receiving any royalty income and could not earn through touring.

His filing specifically noted:

“I am currently struggling to manage my finances. I’m uncertain if I will ever command the kind of advances I received prior to my arrest and career stagnation.“

The documents were associated with a civil lawsuit initiated by two former associates, and he emphasized that continuing with the lawsuit could lead to his “bankruptcy.”

Just a month later, Tekashi69 shared an Instagram video flaunting millions in cash and at least a million worth of cars:

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @6ix9ine

The day after sharing the aforementioned video on Instagram, Tekashi made an appearance on “TMZ Live.” He was directly asked by Harvey Levin to clarify how he could showcase such a large amount of cash while also claiming to be financially distressed in front of a judge. Below is an excerpt of their discussion:

Harvey Levin:

“You owe around a million dollars in restitution, and I understand you mentioned to a judge that you simply didn’t have the funds.“

Following this, Harvey’s co-host interjected:

“Correct, and I believe your attorney indicated that bankruptcy might be necessary.“

Then Harvey continued:

“But you’re throwing away two million dollars. Doesn’t that put you in a position to potentially have that money taken?“

In response, Tekashi stated:

“I don’t have it right now. I really don’t. That was just prop money.“

Early Life

Born as Daniel Hernandez on May 8, 1996, Tekashi69 originated from Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York. His mother hails from Mexico, while his father is from Puerto Rico. It was not until he turned nine that he met his father for the first time, as he had believed his father was deceased until then. In fact, Daniel Sr. struggled with addiction to heroin and had been incarcerated.

Later, his father would assert that the mother’s family prohibited Daniel Sr. from having any contact with Daniel Jr., even going as far as tearing up the letters he sent from jail.

The family faced financial difficulties, particularly after the fatal shooting of Daniel’s stepfather on the steps of their home in 2010, an event that left Daniel, then 14, severely traumatized. This tragedy necessitated therapy for Daniel to address his PTSD and depression. Around this period, he also began to misbehave in school, which culminated in his expulsion in 8th grade. Following his departure from school, Daniel took up a job at a grocery store to assist with the family’s finances.

Rap Career

At the age of 16, Daniel ventured into rapping. His career took a significant turn when he encountered the CEO of a record label at the Brooklyn bodega where he worked. That executive, Peter “Righteous P” Rogers, managed a label called Hikari-Ultra, and he motivated Daniel to start releasing his own original music.

In 2014, he released his debut song, aptly named “69”. That same year saw the launch of several other singles. Over the following three years, Daniel, who by that time had adopted the stage name Tekashi 6ix9ine, produced a range of albums and videos that gained him a modest following in the underground rap community. After the 2018 album “Dummy Boy”, he released his second project, “TattleTales”, in 2020, which made its debut at #4 on the U.S. “Billboard” 200.

Success

In 2018, Tekashi69 unveiled his debut mixtape, “Day69”. His initial single “Gummo” climbed to #6 on the US Rap chart, #7 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and #12 on the “Billboard” Hot 100, achieving Gold certification. Another single, “Kooda”, also earned a Gold certification and reached #29 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart and #50 on the “Billboard” Hot 100. His collaboration on the single “Keke” (featuring Fetty Wap and A Boogie wit da Hoodie) peaked at #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 taken to social media to boast about various record and management agreements. In January 2018, he claimed in a now-deleted Instagram post to have secured a $7.5 million record deal. The following month, he asserted that he had signed a $15 million management agreement with Birdman’s RICHGANG company. A month later, he stated that he had an endorsement deal worth $4.9 million with a headphone brand. However, sources from the record industry indicated that there is no substantial proof of the legitimacy of any of these deals.

$10 Million Deal

In October 2019, Tekashi finalized a confirmed record deal with 10K Projects, which reportedly has a minimum value of $10 million and includes two upcoming albums, one in English and another in Spanish.

GlobalStreamNow Deal

In July 2020, Tekashi announced a $5 million agreement with live-streaming service GlobalStreamNow, made for a virtual performance scheduled for September 5, 2020.

Legal issues

On multiple occasions, Tekashi69 has faced arrest. In 2015, he admitted guilt to a felony charge involving the use of a child in a sexual performance. As a consequence, he was sentenced to three years of probation and was exempt from registering as a sex offender provided he did not share sexually explicit images online and completed his GED, which he ultimately did not achieve. His arrest in July 2018 stemmed from an outstanding warrant due to an alleged incident of choking someone at a mall in Houston.

In 2018, he faced charges related to weapons, drugs, and racketeering. To avoid a potential prison sentence of 47 years, he chose to testify against members of the Nine Trey Bloods gang, doing so over multiple days in September 2019. During his testimony, he claimed the gang allowed him to act like a member as long as he financially supported them. He also noted that following the release of “Gummo,” his average earnings surged to around $60,000 each month from YouTube royalties and performance fees.

By December 2019, he had entered a guilty plea as part of a prearranged deal with government prosecutors.

For his cooperation, the judge sentenced Tekashi to a mere 13 months in prison, while those he testified against are facing life terms.

On March 22, 2020, he sought early release because of the rampant COVID-19 virus within the prison system. The government did not contest his release, and he was set free on April 2nd, ahead of an original release date in August 2020.

Reportedly, in March 2023, Tekashi was attacked in a steam room at an LA Fitness gym in Palm Beach County, Florida. Videos circulating on social media depicted his facial injuries, including cuts and abrasions; one suspect has pleaded not guilty regarding the incident.

Release

On May 8, 2020, he unveiled his new song “Gooba” along with a music video that quickly broke the record for the largest 24-hour debut for a hip-hop video on YouTube. In just 24 hours, the video garnered 40 million views, surpassing Eminem’s previous one-day record of 38 million for his song “Killshot” set in 2018.

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

On the same day, May 8th, Tekashi69 hosted an Instagram live session, attracting more than two million simultaneous viewers, effectively breaking the Instagram live record by over 1.7 million.

From YouTube ad revenue, Spotify royalties, and various other income streams, Tekashi claimed to have earned $2 million from “Gooba” within the first week, announcing also his plan to donate 10% of the earnings to charity.

Personal Life

Shortly before entering prison at the end of 2018, Tekashi began a relationship with Rachel “Jade” Watley. He has two daughters: one born in October 2015 with Sara Molina and another born in November 2018 with Marlayna M.

Fluent in Spanish, Tekashi has performed in Spanish on four tracks: “Bebe,” “Mala,” “Yaya,” and “Bori.” He also deals with asthma.

Upon his release from prison, Tekashi moved into a humble residence in Lido Beach, but after a neighbor revealed his location, he was forced to relocate, subsequently reported to have settled in Water Mill, New York, in an 8,500-square-foot home with a view of the estate that includes a tree farm. At the time, this property was available for rent at $55,000.