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.
WAKA
6ix9ine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put the pump to his chest, make a nigga cough up
You a bum and you stressed, and that's why you lost her
Met a nigga from the X, niggas need to boss up
She gon' eat, you want beef, but this ain't no burger
All my songs on repeat, that's what's up, your word up
I was young with the heat, walkin' round with burners
Wishing I could wish for anything like Timmy Turner
Na-na-oh, na-oh
Na-na-oh, na-oh
Na-na-oh, na-oh
Why this bitch tryna play me? Are you crazy?
Pocket rocket in my cargos, like the Navy
Put this Tommy to his brain, please, like he Brady
Heartbreaking on the daily, can you save me?
Why is bitches tryna play me? Are you crazy?
I can't let her have my baby, you not my baby
I can't let her have my baby, I'm actin' shady
Heartbreaking on the daily, can you save me?
Y'all gotta move, give me some room, I'm 'bout to shoot
Boom! Everybody running out the room
Boom! Everybody begging, "Don't shoot"
Boom! Nigga, who the fuck asked you?
You a bum, are you dumb? Try me, I got this gun
Run, nigga, if I'm here, don't come
Bitch, you was expecting for me to hit
That's a dub, I know you put a hole in that shit
Sawed off in the damn drawer
Got a .30 in my drawers, gotta hold my pants up
Only time she ever call is for the banana
I don't even check my call log, I don't answer
Why this bitch tryna play me? Are you crazy?
Pocket rocket in my cargos, like the Navy
Put this Tommy to his brain, please, like he Brady
Heartbreaking on the daily, can you save me?
Why this bitch tryna play me? Is she crazy?
That bitch know I'm number one, like Tracy McGrady
Know I got this .380, it's on safety
I know all these niggas hate me, won't let it phase me
Fuck nigga
I'ma swerve in the Maybach, I'ma do some damage
Niggas sit the fuck down if you don't understand us
I heard niggas talking 'bout they gon' run down on us
Pull up windows down in a fucking Lamb' truck
Oh, na, na, na-na-na, na
Na-na-na, na, na-na-na, na
Na-na-na, na, na-na-na, na
Na-na-na, na, na-na-na, na, yeah
Scott Storch
The lyrics of 6ix9ine's song WAKA are heavy with violent and angry language, and the overarching theme seems to be a declaration of power and dominance. 6ix9ine boasts about his possession of a gun and implies that he's willing to use it, painting a picture of violence and aggression. He also alludes to relationships that have gone sour, suggesting that he has been betrayed by a partner who is now trying to play him. He mentions that this person is calling him wanting to have his baby, but he is not interested in being with them. The chorus is a repetition of "na-na-oh," which could be interpreted as a sort of battle cry.
The verse that follows the chorus is a threat to those who try to cross him, stating that he will catch them off guard with an asthma attack-like ambush. He references his gun again, and how he pulls it out to intimidate others. Later in the song, he further elaborates on the gun by mentioning the specifics of the weapon, saying he's got a sawed-off gun in a drawer and a .30 caliber gun in his pants. The bridge repeats the chorus and outro, mentioning Scott Storch, the producer of the song.
Overall, the lyrics to WAKA are a glorification of street life and an assertion of power and control. It's important to note that the song contains explicit language and violent themes and may be inappropriate for some listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Catch a asthma attack, the way we pull up on ya
We'll make you feel like you can't breathe when we show up
Put the pump to his chest, make a nigga cough up
We'll scare you so much that you'll start coughing
You a bum and you stressed, and that's why you lost her
You lost your girl because you're broke and unhappy
Met a nigga from the X, niggas need to boss up
I met someone from the streets and now everyone needs to step their game up
She gon' eat, you want beef, but this ain't no burger
She's getting what she wants while you're fighting for something you can't have
All my songs on repeat, that's what's up, your word up
I'm so popular that people can't stop listening to my music
I was young with the heat, walkin' round with burners
When I was young, I carried guns around with me
Wishing I could wish for anything like Timmy Turner
I wish I had the power to make my wishes come true like Timmy Turner from The Fairly OddParents
Why this bitch tryna play me? Are you crazy?
Why is this girl trying to mess with me? Does she not know who I am?
Pocket rocket in my cargos, like the Navy
I have a small gun in my cargo pants, like a member of the Navy
Put this Tommy to his brain, please, like he Brady
I'll put a gun to his head like Tom Brady
Heartbreaking on the daily, can you save me?
My heart is broken all the time, can you help me?
I can't let her have my baby, you not my baby
I can't let her have my kid, she's not my girl anymore
Y'all gotta move, give me some room, I'm 'bout to shoot
Clear the way, I'm going to shoot someone
Boom! Everybody running out the room
Everyone's scared and running away after the gunshots
Boom! Everybody begging, "Don't shoot"
People are pleading with me not to shoot them
Boom! Nigga, who the fuck asked you?
I don't care what you have to say
You a bum, are you dumb? Try me, I got this gun
You're a loser, don't mess with me or I'll use my gun
Run, nigga, if I'm here, don't come
You better run away and not come back while I'm here
Bitch, you was expecting for me to hit
You thought I would fall for your trap, but I didn't
Sawed off in the damn drawer
I keep a shotgun in my drawer
Got a .30 in my drawers, gotta hold my pants up
I have a gun in my underwear, and I need to hold my pants up because of it
Only time she ever call is for the banana
The only reason she calls me is for sex
I don't even check my call log, I don't answer
I don't care who's calling me, I won't answer
That bitch know I'm number one, like Tracy McGrady
That girl knows I'm the best, like Tracy McGrady in basketball
Know I got this .380, it's on safety
I have a gun for protection, but it's on safety
I'ma swerve in the Maybach, I'ma do some damage
I'm going to drive recklessly and cause destruction in my Maybach car
Niggas sit the fuck down if you don't understand us
If you don't know what we're about, sit down and be quiet
I heard niggas talking 'bout they gon' run down on us
I heard people saying they're going to come after us
Pull up windows down in a fucking Lamb' truck
I'm going to pull up in a Lamborghini with the windows down
Scott Storch
The producer of this song, Scott Storch
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, CREATE MUSIC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Andrew Green, Artist Dubose, Daniel Hernandez, Julian Gramma, Scott Spencer Storch, Vincent Van Den Ende
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind