Tekashi 6ix9ine Filmed Handing Out Album On Streets After Miserable Sales Predictions
By Rebecca Cukier on September 11, 2020 at 10:25 AM EDT
6ix9ine/Instagram
Tekashi 6ix9ine is literally handing out his new album for free on city streets – "Very good," the 24-year-old rapper was heard saying as he told bypassers to "make sure you listen to the album" today. 6ix9ine, real name Daniel Hernandez, took to his Instagram ahead of the weekend with a little sense of humor as he admitted he had to shift copies "one way or another."
Tekashi's September 4-dropped "TattleTales" album has been in the news for poor sales projections. Check out the latest below.
6ix9ine/Instagram
Scroll for the video. It comes shortly after the "PUNANI" rapper made headlines for admitting he was in a "bad mood" and accusing both Apple Music and Spotify of blocking distribution – the rapper filmed himself with two phones and browsing New Releases, with his own beats not visible under recommendations.
Friday's video saw the rainbow rapper out on streets and by a subway station. He was with a pile of CDs and straight-up giving away his album: "Make sure you listen to it," he told one person.
6ix9ine/Instagram
A caption from 6ix9ine read: "One way or another ima force ya to listen to this! Since ya ain’t want to buy it."
Fans, alongside celebrities, have been giving the post-prison release the thumbs-down. While a popular comment on 6ix9ine's Instagram called the EP "garbage," rapper Blueface called it "terrible."
Sales projections are also low, with the initial 150,000 figure then adjusted to a much more modest 45,000. 6ix9ine's drop also includes the colorful "TUTU" track and music video seeing model Blac Chyna wear nothing but candy sprinkles and boots. More after the video.
6ix9ine/Instagram
Keep scrolling for Blac Chyna. On August 9, 6ix9ine made headlines for a car video where he admitted he wasn't feeling too great. "Yeah, so what's up everybody. I woke up in a bad mood...Supposed to be in a good mood, but I'm in a bad mood," he said, adding:
"Album just dropped yesterday. I'm looking at all these DSPs, DSPs is Apple Music, Spotify. Yo, they completely shutting us out like we didn't drop not a single thing."
The album is the rapper's first since his two-year prison sentence was completed: he was released from a New York prison in April on account of coronavirus, completing the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
6ix9ine/Instagram
Tekashi is fresh from a landmark New York Times interview, seeing him address his Trey Nine Bloods gang past, underage sex charge, and music among other topics. When asked if he thought he'd have gotten where he is today without the gang image, the rapper replied:
"No. I was killing the European market. But when you’re a kid from New York, you don’t want to be the kid that is only being played in Slovakia. I want to go outside in New York and hear my music. I want to go to the club and hear my music blasting through those speakers. What’s the point of doing something and you’re not the best at doing it in your hometown? "