Behind the Rainbow: Tekashi 6ix9ine Reveals the Truth About His Name, Scum Gang, and Early Career Betrayal

Before the chart-topping hits and international headlines, Tekashi 6ix9ine was Daniel Hernandez, a struggling teen father in a cramped New York “railroad apartment.” He was just 18 or 19 when he had his first child with Sarah Molina, working at a bodega while living with his family in a state of financial strain. Ironically, he notes that this period of being broke was not the worst of his life; rather, he claims the hardest times came after he achieved money and fame.

The Origin of the Brand: 6ix9ine and Scum Gang

The name 6ix9ine was not initially laden with deep symbolism. According to the rapper, he simply liked the number and “just started running with that shit,” putting it on every piece of clothing and gear he could find. Only later did he start connecting the numbers to his personal details, such as his first name (Daniel) having six letters and his last name (Hernandez) having nine.

The name of his initial collective, Scum Gang, was born from his environment. He explains that “scum” represents “the bottom of the bottom” or the “scum of the earth,” referring to the impoverished, crime-ridden reality of his Bushwick, Brooklyn neighborhood before gentrification. He later adopted the acronym used by another group: “Society Can’t Understand Me,” which he felt perfectly described his defiant stance.

The Look: Hair and Tattoos

The visually jarring image that propelled 6ix9ine to fame was a gradual development:

Rainbow Hair: He began dyeing his hair as a teenager, starting with pastel green and purple. He decided to embrace the full rainbow look—getting all the colors at once—sometime around 2016-2017, coinciding with the release of his track “Anarchy.”
Face Tattoos: Contrary to popular belief, he confirms he had no major face tattoos on his earliest tracks like “6ix9ine,” “Pimpin’,” or “4769.” The notorious jigsaw, spiderwebs, and the large “69” on his forehead were not added until later, in early 2016 or 2017, well after his music career had already begun to take shape.

International Acceptance and Internal Betrayal

In his early days, the first audiences to truly embrace his unique sound and image were not in the United States, but surprisingly in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. He noticed comments in a foreign language and soon partnered with a label there, primarily using their channel to upload his content because he did not understand music monetization.

Despite this early international traction, his career at home was mired in internal conflict. He recounts a disappointing, “bullshit” meeting with A&Rs from Epic Records who showed no interest in signing him. More damaging was the eventual split with his early associate, Righteous P, who he felt was trying to replace him in the collective by pushing his little brother (implied to be ZillaKami) into the group. This tension culminated when his associates seized his Instagram account—the essential lifeline to his growing fanbase—forcing him to fight to get it back, an event that marked the final break with his original crew.