Tekashi69 Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Net Worth of Tekashi69

American rapper, social media personality, and convicted felon, Tekashi69, possesses a net worth of $500 thousand. Tekashi is renowned for his controversial persona in the music industry and personal life. In the year 2015, he confessed to a felony involving child exploitation. Subsequently, in 2018, he got detained on charges related to racketeering, firearms, drug offenses, and plotted murder. In exchange for a reduced two-year confinement, Tekashi provided testimony against his former gang members. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was granted early release and put under house arrest.

Throughout his relatively short career, Tekashi has managed to amass substantial wealth. He is said to have inked numerous lucrative deals for performances and contracts, which collectively had potentials worth tens of millions of dollars. The financial aspects of Tekashi will be further elaborated in the following paragraph.

Financial Challenges

Precisely pinning down Tekashi69’s finances on a monthly basis can be challenging. Undoubtedly, he has signed several multi-million dollar agreements for records and concerts. Additionally, he has earned millions from streaming royalties, primarily attributing to his YouTube channel, where he presently boasts 20 million followers and over 5 billion video views.

However, after his imprisonment sentence, Tekashi’s career was effectively halted for two years.

In March 2022, Tekashi presented documents to a court, claiming severe financial adversities due to income loss, mainly because of his halted career for two years. He remarked about receiving no royalty funds and being unable to generate income through tours.

Specifically, his submission mentioned:

“Currently, I am finding it hard to make both ends meet. I am uncertain if I will ever command similar advances to those I received before my arrest, when my career was paused.“

The documents were involved in a civil lawsuit filed by two former associates. He further asserted that proceeding with the lawsuit could lead to his “bankruptcy.”

Soon after sharing the above-mentioned video on Instagram, Tekashi69 appeared on “TMZ Live,” where Harvey Levin straightforwardly questioned him regarding flaunting a considerable sum of cash while simultaneously claiming financial insolvency to a judge. The conversation went as follows:

Harvey Levin:

“You owe about one million dollars in restitution, and you informed the court that you were incapable of paying it.“

Harvey’s co-host added:

“Yes, and your attorney suggested that you might have to file for bankruptcy.“

Harvey then queried:

“However, you recently flashed two million dollars. Aren’t you vulnerable to having that money confiscated?“

Tekashi’s response:

“I don’t own such funds currently. It wasn’t real money; it was a prop.“

Early Days

Born as Daniel Hernandez on May 8, 1996, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, Tekashi69 didn’t have a conventional upbringing. Raised by a mother from Mexico and a father from Puerto Rico, he only met his father at the age of nine as he was unaware of his existence before that. Unbeknownst to him, his father, Daniel Sr., was battling heroin addiction and was incarcerated. Later, his father explained that impediments from maternal relatives prevented him from meeting Daniel.Upon receiving letters from Jr., he went to the extent of tearing them up while in jail.

Financial struggles plagued the family, particularly after the tragic death of Daniel’s stepfather on the family home’s steps in 2010 when Daniel was only 14, causing severe psychological damage. As a result, Daniel had to seek therapy to address PTSD and depression. Concurrently, his behavior in school took a negative turn, leading to his expulsion in 8th grade. After departing school, Daniel took up a job at a grocery store to assist the family financially.

The Beginning of a Rap Career

At the age of 16, Daniel ventured into rap music. An early breakthrough came when he encountered the CEO of a record label during his shift at a Brooklyn bodega. This record executive, Peter “Righteous P” Rogers, managed a label known as Hikari-Ultra. Peter was instrumental in encouraging Daniel to start creating and releasing original songs.

He dropped his first song, aptly titled “69,” in 2014, followed by several additional singles later that year. Over the subsequent three years, under the stage name Tekashi 6ix9ine, he released a string of albums and videos that earned him moderate acclaim within the underground rap community. Building on the success of his 2018 album “Dummy Boy,” Tekashi69 released his second album, “TattleTales,” in 2020, which debuted at number four on the U.S. “Billboard” 200 chart.

Achieving Success

His debut mixtape, “Day69,” was released in 2018, with the lead single “Gummo” soaring to number six on the US Rap chart, number seven on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and number 12 on the “Billboard” Hot 100, achieving Gold certification. Another single, “Kooda,” also went Gold and peaked at number 29 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart and number 50 on the “Billboard” Hot 100. The track “Keke” with Fetty Wap and A Boogie wit da Hoodie reached number 20 on the US Rap chart, number 22 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and number 43 on the “Billboard” Hot 100.

Rumored Record Deals

Utilizing social media as a platform, Tekashi69 boasted about various record and management deals. In January 2018, he claimed (in a since-deleted Instagram post) to have signed a $7.5 million record deal. A month later, he asserted he inked a $15 million management deal with Birdman’s RICHGANG company. Approximately a month after that, he alleged securing a $4.9 million agreement to endorse a headphone brand. However, according to industry insiders we consulted, there is scant evidence supporting the legitimacy of these deals.

A $10 Million Deal

In October 2019, Tekashi finalized a confirmed deal with record label 10K Projects worth at least $10 million, encompassing two forthcoming albums—one in English and the other in Spanish.

Striking a Deal with GlobalStreamNow

By July 2020, Tekashi disclosed a $5 million agreement with live-streaming company GlobalStreamNow. The deal entailed a virtual performance scheduled for September 5, 2020.

Legal Troubles

Tekashi69 encountered several run-ins with the law. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of exploiting a minor for a sexual act. Subsequently, he was handed a three-year probation term but avoided registering as a sex offender by refraining from sharing sexually explicit content online and obtaining his GED, a test he failed. His troubles continued in July 2018 when he was apprehended due to a pending warrant related to an incident where he purportedly assaulted a person at a mall in Houston.

Later in 2018, he faced charges involved in weapons, drugs, and racketeering. Seeking a reduced sentence, Tekashi agreed to testify against Nine Trey Bloods gang members to evade a potential 47-year jail term. His testimony spanned several days in September 2019, revealing that he financially supported the gang while pretending to be a member and earned about $60,000 monthly post the release of “Gummo” from YouTube royalties and live performance fees.

By December 2019, he admitted guilt as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

As a reward for his cooperation, the judge sentenced Tekashi to serve a mere 13 months. The individuals he testified against face life imprisonment.

Concerns about the rampant spread of COVID-19 in prisons prompted him to seek early release, a request unopposed by the government, leading to his release on April 2nd, instead of the initially scheduled August 2020 release.

In March 2023, reports surfaced of Tekashi being assaulted in a steam room at an LA Fitness gym in Palm Beach County, Florida. Videos circulating on social media depicted the incident involving him sustaining facial injuries, with one suspect entering a plea of not guilty to the charges.

The Release

On May 8, 2020, Tekashi unveiled his latest track “Gooba” along with an accompanying music video, setting a new record for the most significant 24-hour debut for a hip-hop video on YouTube. Within a day, the video amassed 40 million views, surpassing the prior hip-hop record of 38 million set by Eminem in 2018 with “Killshot.”

Within a week, “Gooba” surged past 150 million views.

That same day, Tekashi69 hosted an Instagram live session, drawing more than two million simultaneous viewers, smashing the previous Instagram live record by over 1.7 million.

Through a combination of YouTube ad revenue, Spotify royalties, and other income streams, Tekashi publicly declared earnings of $2 million from “Gooba” within a week, resolving to donate 10% of the proceeds to charity.

Personal Details

Prior to his imprisonment towards the end of 2018, Tekashi initiated a relationship with Rachel “Jade” Watley. He is a father to a daughter born in October 2015 from Sara Molina, and another daughter born in November 2018 with Marlayna M.

Fluent in Spanish, Tekashi has incorporated the language into four tracks: “Bebe,” “Mala,” “Yaya,” and “Bori.” He also battles asthma.

Upon release from incarceration, Tekashi resettled in a modest dwelling in Lido Beach. Unfortunately, his location was disclosed by a neighbor, compelling him to relocate abruptly, as per reports.