Hernandez rose to mainstream fame in late 2017 with the release of his debut single "Gummo", which was certified platinum by the RIAA. In early 2018, Hernandez released his debut mixtape, Day69, which debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart. He later earned his first top-five entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Fefe", featuring Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz, which peaked at number three on the chart. His debut studio album, Dummy Boy, was released on November 27, 2018, after being delayed a week earlier due to his arrest, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.
Hernandez pled guilty to using a 13-year-old child in a sexual performance in 2015. He was arrested in November 2018 on racketeering and firearm charges, among others, for which he is facing a possible life sentence in federal prison.
Early Life
He was raised with his older brother by his parents until he was 13, when his father was shot dead steps away from the family home. Emotionally disturbed by the death of his father, Hernandez started to act out and was eventually expelled from school in the 8th grade for bad behavior. Rather than continue his education, he started working various odd jobs such as working as a busboy to help his mother financially. Hernandez also dealt drugs to supplement his income, most notably selling cannabis and heroin on the streets while working at a local Brooklyn bodega. He was eventually arrested for his criminal activities and sentenced to prison time at Rikers Island, where he began to associate himself with the Nine Trey Gangsters, a prison subset of the Bloods street gang. Hernandez began his career as a rapper in 2014, releasing songs such as "69" and "Scumlife". Other early songs were taken down by YouTube.
Career
Hernandez began releasing rap songs in 2014. Over the next three years, he released multiple tracks and videos with titles such as "Scumlife", "Yokai", and "Hellsing Station", drawing attention for his aggressive rapping style and use of anime as music video visuals. Many of his early songs were released by FCK THEM, a music label based in Slovakia. Gathering fame as an internet meme for his rainbow-dyed hair and rainbow-plated grills, he eventually became an associate of fellow New York rapper ZillaKami. They later feuded after Hernandez allegedly stole instrumentals and songs they had made together.
Hernandez's commercial debut single "Gummo" was released on November 10, 2017, and eventually peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was certified platinum by the RIAA on March 5, 2018. His next single, "Kooda", debuted at number 61 on the Hot 100 the week of December 23, 2017. On January 14, 2018, Hernandez released his third single, "Keke", with Fetty Wap and A Boogie wit da Hoodie, which also charted on the Hot 100.
Shortly afterward, Hernandez announced his debut mixtape, titled Day69. The mixtape was released on February 23, 2018, and debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 55,000 album-equivalent units, of which 20,000 were pure sales. According to Jon Caramanica of The New York Times, the tape was an outgrowth of the "SoundCloud rap explosion", and was notable for its willingness to deviate from hip-hop's prevailing sound. After the release of Day69, two songs from the album, "Billy" and "Rondo" both debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Billy" peaking at number 50 and "Rondo" at number 73.
In April 2018, Hernandez released "Gotti", a remix of a feature he did for artist Packman titled "Got it, Got it". The song's video was released on April 16, 2018, and involved footage of Hernandez donating bundles of $100 bills to poor citizens in the Dominican Republic. The song was added to Day69 as a deluxe song and debuted at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 before dropping off the following week, making it his sixth consecutive Hot 100 entry.
Hernandez stirred up controversy in May 2018 when he was involved in a shooting with the entourage of fellow New York rapper Casanova as part of a feud; this led to Hernandez losing a $5 million headphone deal and being banned from the Barclays Center. After the shooting, Hernandez stopped releasing music for several months, before releasing "Tati", featuring DJ Spinking in June, which debuted at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In July 2018, Hernandez released his eighth single, "Fefe", featuring Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz; the single debuted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 before peaking at number three in its second week, marking 6ix9ine's highest entry on the chart and his first single to reach the top five of the Hot 100. "Fefe" was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. His subsequent singles, "Bebe" and "Stoopid", also reached the top 30 of the Hot 100.
In early October 2018, Hernandez was featured on the song "Aulos Reloaded" with French house DJ Vladimir Cauchemar and "Kick" with Danish singer Jimilian.
On November 7, 2018, it was announced that his debut studio album, Dummy Boy, was to be released on November 23, but on November 21, it was announced that the album would be postponed. The album was ultimately released without notice on November 27, on all streaming services.
DUMMY
6ix9ine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I spent some days in the trap and got my money up (yeah)
Bust it down, the Rollie, now she's tryna fuck (yeah)
And now she fiending all up on me just like I'm a drug (yeah)
I remember back when y'all wouldn't show me love (yeah)
Jaguar truck on the freeway (woah)
You can catch me balling on the replay (woah)
I been with the same gang since pre-k' (woah)
Get the money, stack it with my niggas
I remember trapping with my niggas
Now we overseas in a villa
Going back, we won't consider
I remember days we was starving
Still finessing, we was jugging, we was robbing
I was coming off the bitch, I wasn't started
Now I'm out here balling like I'm Harden
And I make sure my day ones straight
Stay with my gang
You ain't fucking with me, you can stay out my way
Stay in your lane, fuck your campaign, yeah
Last year, I was sleeping in a basement
Now the foreign looking like a spaceship
Bust down the gang with the bag, yeah
All the money on me, holographic
I spent some days in the trap and got my money up (yeah)
Bust it down, the Rollie, now she's tryna fuck (yeah)
And now she fiending all up on me just like I'm a drug (yeah)
I remember back when y'all wouldn't show me love (yeah)
Jaguar truck on the freeway (woah)
You can catch me balling on the replay (woah)
Saint Laurent jacket, it's 3k (woah)
I been with the same gang since pre-k' (woah)
We was down and we was out, and bitches looked at us stupid
It was hating ass niggas, so I kept me a Ruger
Sending shots to his body, make him sing like Ozuna
They was running out they mouth, but they respected the shooter
We was down and we was out, and bitches looked at us stupid
It was hating ass niggas, so I kept me a Ruger
Sending shots to his body, make him sing like Ozuna
They was running out they mouth, but they respected the shooter (yeah)
Blocked blocks, sent shots
Threw that shit in reverse
Then we bending through your block
Blocked blocks, sent shots
Threw that shit in reverse
Then we bending through your block
Watch his body milly rock, yeah
In the song "DUMMY" by 6ix9ine, the artist talks about his success after spending some time hustling in the trap. He flaunts his newfound wealth and luxury possessions, such as a Rolls-Royce and expensive Saint Laurent jacket, that attract attention from women who previously didn't show him love. 6ix9ine is also explicit in his loyalty to his crew, who he has been with since pre-kindergarten, and states that he will always ensure they are taken care of. He boasts about how far he has come, from sleeping in a basement to driving around in a "spaceship" foreign car.
The second verse of the song focuses more on the struggle he and his crew faced before their success. There were people who doubted them and looked down on them, but they persevered and made sure to keep a Ruger handy just in case. He also mentions that they had to send shots to those who disrespected them, but ultimately the shooter was respected.
Overall, "DUMMY" is a track about 6ix9ine's rise to fame and his loyalty to those who have been with him since the beginning. It also touches on the violence that often comes with the lifestyle of hustling and making it big in the music industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Daytrip took it to 10
The producer Daytrip made this beat extra hot
I spent some days in the trap and got my money up (yeah)
I made a lot of money selling drugs and doing other illegal activities
Bust it down, the Rollie, now she's tryna fuck (yeah)
I bought an expensive Rolex watch and now girls want to have sex with me
And now she fiending all up on me just like I'm a drug (yeah)
Girls are addicted to me and want to be around me all the time
I remember back when y'all wouldn't show me love (yeah)
People used to hate on me and not give me any attention, but now they want to be my friend
Jaguar truck on the freeway (woah)
I'm driving a fancy Jaguar SUV on the highway
You can catch me balling on the replay (woah)
You can see a video of me playing basketball really well if you watch it again (on replay)
Saint Laurent jacket, it's 3k (woah)
I'm wearing an expensive Saint Laurent jacket that cost $3000
I been with the same gang since pre-k' (woah)
I've been friends with these guys since we were really young (pre-kindergarten)
Get the money, stack it with my niggas
Me and my friends make a lot of money and keep it all together
I remember trapping with my niggas
I remember selling drugs with my friends
Now we overseas in a villa
Now we're living in a fancy house in another country
Going back, we won't consider
We won't ever have to go back to our old lives
I remember days we was starving
I remember a time when we didn't have enough food to eat
Still finessing, we was jugging, we was robbing
We were still finding ways to make money, even if it meant stealing or committing crimes
I was coming off the bitch, I wasn't started
I wasn't always successful and had to work my way up from nothing
Now I'm out here balling like I'm Harden
Now I'm really successful, like the basketball player James Harden
And I make sure my day ones straight
I make sure my friends from the past are taken care of financially
Stay with my gang
I'm always with my group of friends
You ain't fucking with me, you can stay out my way
If you're not helping me or being my friend, then don't try to bother me
Stay in your lane, fuck your campaign, yeah
Do what you're good at and don't try to compete with me
Last year, I was sleeping in a basement
I used to live in a really bad place with no money
Now the foreign looking like a spaceship
Now I drive a really nice car that looks like a spaceship
Bust down the gang with the bag, yeah
I shared my money with my friends and made sure they were taken care of
All the money on me, holographic
I have a lot of money and it's like it's been printed with a special holographic design
We was down and we was out, and bitches looked at us stupid
We had no money and nobody respected us
It was hating ass niggas, so I kept me a Ruger
People would hate on us, so I carried a gun for protection
Sending shots to his body, make him sing like Ozuna
If someone disrespects us, we'll shoot them and it'll hurt just like getting hit by a bullet from the musician Ozuna
They was running out they mouth, but they respected the shooter
People talked badly about us, but they were afraid of us because we had guns
Blocked blocks, sent shots
We blocked people on social media and also shot at them with guns
Threw that shit in reverse
We reversed the car quickly to escape the situation
Then we bending through your block
Then we drove through the neighborhood where our enemies live
Watch his body milly rock, yeah
When we shoot someone, their body will move like they are doing a popular dance called the Milly Rock
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Andrew Green, Daniel Hernandez, David Biral, Denzel Michael Akil Baptiste
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind