6ix9ine

Also known as Tekashi 6ix9ine, New York rapper 6ix9ine (born Daniel Hernandez) takes a hyper-aggressive, full-throated approach to delivering his oft-violent rhymes. After being released early from a prison sentence, the rapper funneled some of his harrowing experiences into the songs on his 2020 sophomore album Tattletales. Subsequent singles include "Zaza" (2021) and "Giné" (2022). In 2023, he made a stylistic shift toward softer, more melodic sounds on his third album, the reggaeton-inspired and Spanish-sung Leyanda Viva.

A native of Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, the Scumgang member developed a following on SoundCloud and made his commercial breakthrough in 2017, after he landed a recording deal through Elliott Grange that facilitated distribution via Universal. Just after Hernandez reportedly pled guilty to three felony counts of using a child in a sexual performance, "GUMMO," his first widely distributed single, entered the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 12. Follow-up "KOODA" arrived at the end of the year, at which point Hernandez had also recorded with the likes of Yung Beef, Trippie Redd, and Mo Dollaz. The commercial mixtape DAY69 arrived in early 2018 and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number four. He later joined Murda Beatz and Nicki Minaj on the track "Fefe," which became a Hot 100 hit, rising into the Top Three that summer. At the end of the year, hit with sexual assault, racketeering, and firearms charges, he issued his official debut LP, Dummy Boy, which climbed to number two on the Billboard 200 while he remained in prison awaiting trial. He was given a two-year jail sentence in February of 2019, but in April of the following year, he was released early when the COVID-19 pandemic posed a threat to his underlying asthma condition. Under house arrest for the remainder of his sentence, he quickly started releasing new music. His aggressive single "Gooba" was released in May on the rapper's 24th birthday and debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The next month, he returned with new single "Trollz," a collaboration with Nicki Minaj. Both songs appeared on second studio album Tattletales, which was released in September of 2020. The album debuted in the Top Ten of the U.S. album chart and did well throughout the rest of the world, too. 2021 saw Hernandez throw jabs at Lil Durk and Meek Mill on the single "Zaza," and in 2022, he released the fiery "Giné," a collaboration for the energy drink of the same name.

Throughout the front half of 2023, 6ix9ine delivered a succession of singles that saw him moving away from drill and into more tropically minded reggaeton vibes. "Bori," a collaboration with Lenier, and "Y Ahora" with Grupo Firme were eventually featured on his Spanish-language third album, Leyanda Viva, in June of that year. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi