Daniel Hernandez became the world famous Tekashi 6ix9ine because of an Eastern European businessman named Yaksha, and their relationship is dissected in a New York mag feature.
Yaksha, a Slovakian, spotted 6ix9ine on YouTube and one of Tekashi's first verses -- back in 2014 -- was a feature for a group that was on Yaksha's FCK THEM indie rap label.
6ix9ine quickly blew up in Eastern Europe, where they couldn't get enough of his wild antics, and then Yaksha used the profits from 6ix9ine's overseas success to establish 6ix9ine back in his own homeland.
"His first fan base was from Europe. It was from Slovakia and Czech Republic, very small countries in Europe. And yes, it was his first fan base. And our plan was take his music to Europe, here he will grow up and after it, he will come back to US and he will continue in his career."
Yaksha explained that 6ix9ine lost his way when he hooked up with Shotti and the Tre3way boys.
"A lot of people were writing me [on Instagram] saying I should have taken more care of him, I should have taken him back to Europe," Yaksha said. "His big mistake — he liked the attention of the gang. He liked the attention of the people selling heroin, shooting people. He trolled his way into the jail."
Check the whole article here. It gives you a completely new perspective on the whole 6ix9ine phenomenon.