6ix9ine is arguably one of the most divisive, controversial figures to emerge in hip-hop. From the start, he was an agent provocateur with a penchant for getting into beefs with other rappers. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native ruffled feathers with his in-your-face rap videos like "Gummo" and "Kooda." And his affiliation with a Bloods gang also raised eyebrows and eventually landed him in legal trouble. 6ix9ine was born Daniel Hernandez on May 8, 1996, and became well-known for his viral 2-minute YouTube videos in which he appeared as a real-life Joker with his rainbow-colored hair and antagonistic lyrics aimed at his rap rivals. His videos also frequently starred the Bloods faction known as 9 Trey Bloods.

His 2018 debut album, Dummy Boy, contains big-name features like Nicki Minaj and Kanye West on "Fefe" and "Kanga," respectively, as well as future controversial artists Tory Lanez ("Kika") and Gunna ("Feefa"). However, his music was overshadowed by his various criminal cases and public beefs with everyone from Chief Keef to Casanova to YG. In November of 2018, 6ix9ine, along with his former acting manager Kifano "Shotti" Jordan, and three other associates were arrested and charged with federal RICO and firearms charges, including conspiracy to murder and armed robbery and faced up to life in prison. The following year, the embattled rapper accepted a plea deal that helped him avoid prison in exchange for his willingness to testify against Trey Bloods gang members. In September of 2022, after his release from prison following his cooperation with the feds, 6ix9ine released the album TattleTales to lukewarm reviews. In June of 2023, he released a reggaeton album, Leyenda Viva, where he raps and sings in Spanish. The project was met with a more positive reception in the Latin community.