It's been several weeks since Tekashi 6ix9ine was brutally attacked in a South Florida gym, resulting in the arrest of three men. Now, the rapper is breaking his silence in an exclusive interview with NBC6.
“I think it was cowardly," said 6ix9ine. "I think it was opportunistic."
The assault took place inside the bathroom of an LA Fitness in Lake Worth on Tuesday, Mar. 21, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Viral cellphone video of the attack showed the 26-year-old rapper on the bathroom floor while three men repeatedly kicked him.
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"I’m not mad because I know that in the street, there’s no rules," he said. "I’m lost for words because you can’t blame them. They saw an opportunity and they took it.”
6ix9ine, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, sustained cuts and bruises in the attack and was transported to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Another cellphone video showed 6ix9ine appearing to reenter the gym after the attack, with no shoes on and blood dripping down his face.
6ix9ine says he hasn't had security in about two years because he "felt at peace."
"I wanted to feel normal," he said. "I love going to the supermarket with my mom. I love going to the movie theater. I love restaurants, and not have to wait for a security team and go ahead and do it."
6ix9ine has since seen the viral video of his attack, saying it was difficult for him to watch.
"When I look at it, I just see hate," he said. "Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but does that give me the right to attack you? To ambush you?"
One of the men arrested for allegedly attacking 6ix9ine was identified by police as a high-ranking Latin Kings gang member.
Rafael Medina Jr., 43, was arrested this week on assault and robbery charges in connection with the attack. His son, Octavious Medina, 23, and a third man named Anthony Maldonado, 25, were also arrested, according to PBSO.
Maldonado was a member of the gym and brought the Medinas in as his guests, the court documents said.
"They arrived to the gym 10 minutes after I arrived," 6ix9ine said. "I'm in the sauna, and if you're going to the locker room and changing, you can't see who is in the sauna. So my immediate exit from the sauna, they knew I was there, it was calculated."
Former Miami-Dade Police Sergeant Luis Cristobal, who has worked on street crimes for roughly 30 years, told NBC6 that the attack appears to be "a retaliation case."
Back in 2019, 6ix9ine testified against his own gang, the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, for a reduced prison sentence in a racketeering case.
"If we’re going to say that there’s codes to the streets and 6ix9ine broke them by cooperating and snitching, I think we should hold everyone accountable," he said. "Because who broke the street codes, who broke the street rules, was them first."
According to law enforcement, the Bloods and the Latin Kings have "a rich history" of being allies. The two gangs are part of a larger allegiance, the People Nation.
The court documents stated Medina Jr. confessed to the assault in a call with an informant, but the motive remains unclear.
TEKASHI 6IX9INE
6ix9ine says he was in the hospital for four days and continues to heal from his injuries.
In the music video for his new song "Bori" with Cuban singer Lenier, 6ix9ine included videos of him in the hospital after the attack.
"In that hospital scene, I wanted to show whoever is watching — not just the youth, it can be anyone — that no matter what you’re going through in life, being in the circumstances that you’re in, it's all about time, and that passes and good times will come," he said.
6ix9ine says the song is a way for him to show the lessons he's learned and the consequences of associating with the wrong people.
The song is about Bori, a mutual friend of 6ix9ine and Lenier, and is inspired by his upbringing in Cuba.
"In the song we say, there was a bit of good times but there was a lot of bad times, and it's just your perspective on life and how you look at it."
6ix9ine says Lenier wrote the song for Bori about a year ago, and that he and Lenier recorded it together several months ago.
He said that he decided to go through with releasing the song about two weeks ago after a "long hiatus from music."
However, 6ix9ine says the real reason he put the song out was to explain his upbringing because he identifies and relates to the song.
"I think life just keeps going," he said. "I don’t need to get beat up to sell a record."
As far as what's next for the rapper, he says he's focused on his happiness and career. 6ix9ine also told NBC6 he is considering suing the gym where the attack took place.
