Rolling Stone and Showtime are teaming for a new docuseries about controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine titled SuperVillain.
The three-part series will chronicle 6ix9ine’s remarkable rise from a New York City deli clerk to a viral sensation to a convicted criminal currently in prison on federal racketeering and weapons charges. SuperVillain is based on Stephen Witt’s extensive Rolling Stone feature, “Tekashi 6ix9ine: The Rise and Fall of a Hip-Hop Supervillain.”
“Tekashi 6ix9ine’s story fits into Rolling Stone’s history of epic narratives about the most important and controversial artists of our times,” said Gus Wenner, President and COO of Rolling Stone. “We are thrilled to work with Showtime, Imagine and Lightbox on the definitive docuseries of Tekashi’s meteoric rise and spectacular fall.”
“The bizarre and complicated rise of Tekashi 6six9ine is a story of our times,” added Vinnie Malhotra, Executive Vice President of Nonfiction Programming at Showtime. “Beyond becoming one of the most notorious hip hop artists of this generation, his story speaks volumes of the impact of social media and manufactured celebrity in our society. We’re thrilled to be partnering with such heavy hitters in the world of music and documentary to bring SuperVillain to life.”
Rolling Stone, Lightbox and Imagine Documentaries will produce the series, with Imagine co-founder Brian Grazer serving as an executive producer.
Tekashi 6ix9ine first broke out in 2017 after appearing on Trippie Redd’s viral hit “Poles1469.” In 2018, he scored his own viral smash with “Gummo,” which appeared on his debut mixtape, Day69. That same year, he released his first studio album, Dummy Boy.
But while 6ix9ine — real name Daniel Hernandez — was racking up billions of streams, he was dogged by old and new legal issues. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to a felony child-sex charge as part of a “youthful offender” plea deal, and in 2018 those charges resurfaced when he violated the terms of the plea following two arrests, the first for allegedly attacking a 16-year-old in Texas and the second for allegedly driving with a suspended license and then assaulting a police officer.
Hernandez received four years probation for those violations, but less than a month later, he was arrested on federal racketeering and firearms charges as part of a giant sweep targeting members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. Hernandez’s rise as a rapper was inextricably tied to the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a link solidified through his former manager, Kifano Jordan, a.k.a. “Shotti,” who reportedly brought together the crowd of red-clad men seen in the viral video for “Gummo.”
While Hernandez first pleaded not guilty to the charges, he later switched to a guilty plea and began cooperating with the government. Over the summer, he was the star witness in the trial of two members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, Anthony Ellison and Aljermiah Mack, who were ultimately found guilty on multiple charges. While Hernandez remains in custody and won’t be sentenced until December 18th, he recently inked a new record deal with his old label 10K Projects for two albums, one in English and the other in Spanish.
