6ix9ine is revealing that he contemplated suicide while in prison.
In a new interview with Lisa Evers for FOX 5 New York, where no question was off limits, Tekashi opened up about his time behind bars including suicidal thoughts.
“The pressure is so strong,” said the 24-year-old rapper, born Daniel Hernandez. “Mentally, I think people would have attempted suicide. At a point in jail, I thought about it. It’s so much stress, so much pressure, because you just see yourself on the news every day–this, that, and the third, and you’re like, ‘When is this going to come to an end?'”
He claims that his former Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods associates, who he thought were his friends, were actually working against him and plotting to kill him. So he decided to testify against them in order to lessen his possible 47-year sentence. But he insists that he’s not a snitch.
“The audience understands it, the world, the public understands it, but they’ll paint it like, ‘We don’t understand. This guy’s a snitch.’ But what’s the definition of a snitch? I feel like the definition of a snitch and definition of a rat is telling on your friends,” he said.
He was ultimately sentenced to two years in federal prison after cooperating with the feds, but was released early in April due to his chronic asthma and the COVID-19 pandemic. “With the asthma and the coronavirus, I caught bronchitis once and two asthma attacks in prison,” said 6ix9ine, who served another four months in home confinement. “When I caught bronchitis, they sent me to the hospital and the doctor said, ‘What’s going on in that jail? Why is it so cold in that jail?’ I remember, I’m handcuffed … to the bed.”
He now travels with eight bodyguards out of concerns for his safety, but that won’t stop him from living his life. “Mentally, God has built me so strong. You know the saying, ‘What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger?’ So basically I feel like I’m, not invincible, but I feel like I’m at the peak of my mental state, where I’m just like, ‘I’ll be fine,'” he said.
Last week, Tekashi released his first album since prison, TattleTales, which is expected to debut in the top 3 with sales of 55-65,000 units.