The Real Reason This Charity Refused Tekashi 6ix9ine's Money

Tekashi 6ix9ine — whose real name is Daniel Hernandez — has kicked up plenty of press since his loud and aggressive emergence onto the music scene in 2017. The rainbow-colored rapper is known for his hair, heavily-tattooed face, confrontational raps, and his controversial rap sheet. Despite his dicey persona, Tekashi 6ix9ine remains highly successful in the music biz. In April 2020, he was released from prison to serve the rest of his sentence at home, and the following month, his newly released "GOOBA" became a YouTube hit.

Following his release, Tekashi 6ix9ine seemingly attempted to do a bit of good by donating a large sum of money to a non-profit organization, but not everyone was willing to forgive his past transgressions. Let's take a closer look at the real reason a prominent charity refused to accept the rapper's money.

Tekashi 6ix9ine — dubbed a "Hip-Hop's Supervillian" by Rolling Stone — made a name for himself not only through his hard-to-miss appearance and catchy tunes, but also for his online trolling of other celebs. His 2017 hit "Gummo" sparked his career, but taunting other rappers, including 50 Cent and Trippie Redd, became Tekashi 6ix9ine's claim to fame.

During his many rants on social media, during radio interviews, and even in his songs, the rookie rapper boasted about being protected by (and hinted at being a member of) the Nine Trey Gangsters — a sub-sector of The Bloods. The rapper's myriad legal issues date back years, but it was a 2018 shooting in Beverly Hills that led to Tekashi 6ix9ine's arrest on firearms and racketeering charges. According to The New York Times, a federal judge "gave [Tekashi 6ix9ine] credit for pleading guilty and helping prosecutors send several of his former gang associates in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods to prison." He was sentenced to two years (instead of potential life in prison) as part of a plea deal.

His "extraordinary" testimony against others marked what the Times referred to as "a bizarre, full-circle reinvention for Tekashi69, who had spent years fashioning a public persona as the bane of law enforcement."

But not everyone is buying into Tekashi 6ix9ine's new image.

In April 2020, Tekashi 6ix9ine (aka Daniel Hernandez) was released early from prison and placed on house arrest at an undisclosed location to mitigate his risk of contracting COVID-19, per Rolling Stone.

From that mystery abode, the rapper wasted no time defending his reputation and pushing back against those labeling him a "snitch" or a "rat" because he cooperated with law enforcement. Tekashi 6ix9ine said haters have "made fun" of him for years, suggesting that heaping more criticism on him was just par for the course. "I still came home and I'm a legend," he said on Instagram Live (via HipHopDX). "...I came home and rat is doing more numbers than you." His message reportedly reached 1.9 million viewers — a new record for Instagram Live.

About a week after that live event, the wealthy rapper attempted to donate $200,000 to the No Kid Hungry Foundation, but the nonprofit declined his charity. "We are grateful for Mr. Hernandez's generous offer to donate to No Kid Hungry but we have informed his representatives that we have declined this donation," the foundation said (per TMZ). "As a child-focused campaign, it is our policy to decline funding from donors whose activities do not align with our mission and values."

Those "activities" could refer to his aforementioned connection to gang violence or to that time in 2015 when he "pleaded guilty to the use of a child in a sexual performance," per Jezebel. 

Tekashi 6ix9ine claimed the organization's decision would "take food out the mouth of these innocent children." In a since-deleted post, he said, "I never seen something so cruel."

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit RAINN.org for additional resources.