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Rapper Trippie Redd was accused of being involved with the Five Nine Brims during court testimony by rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine on September 17.
The testimony came amidst a torrent of information offered up by 6ix9ine, born Daniel Hernandez, in which he confirmed to have been a part of the Nine Trey Bloods gang. At one point, he said, “I just had to keep making hits and giving financial support to the gang,” per Fader.
The testimony came in the federal racketeering trial against Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack; Tekashi 6ix9ine was giving testimony as a part of a reported plea deal with the government. Ellison in particular is accused of kidnapping 6ix9ine last year, among other criminal offenses.
Redd, born Michael Lamar White IV, has not yet responded to the accusations made by Tekashi 6ix9ine. However, he did post a cryptic Instagram hours after the news of the accusation broke, in which he wrote, “You gettin snitched On n this what you post,” along with a technicolor photo of a panther with red eyes holding a panther cub, also with red eyes, in its mouth.
Then, a few hours later, he posted another Instagram, this time of a selfie, and wrote, “Lmao I was so determined to get to where I am now love you all and my life ❤️”
Here’s what you need to know:
During His Testimony, Tekashi 6ix9ine Accused Rival Rapper Trippie Redd of Gang Involvement
During his court testimony on Tuesday, Tekashi 6ix9ine said that Redd was a member of the Five Nine Brims. Specifically, he said that his song, Gummo, was aimed at Redd. Per Complex, he explained, “Me and Trippie Redd were signed to the same label. There was a lot of jealousy involved.”
The lyrics to Gummo read partially,
Spinning through ya block like a pop shove-it
Shoot at me I’m shooting back, I’m getting buckets
I ain’t wanna take his life but [n-word], f*ck it
It was a part of Tekashi’s reported plea deal with the government to testify during the trials of Ellison and Mack, Fader reports; he personally pleaded guilty to nine criminal counts in February and faces decades in prison.
In addition to accusing Redd of being a member of the Five Nine Brims, the rapper also admitted to being involved in a number of criminal activities himself. Per The New York Times, he said at one point, “We participated in a lot of crimes. Robberies, assaults, drugs.”
He also admitted that much of his public persona, like the lyrics on Gummo that appeared to glorify gang life, was an act. “That’s what people liked,” he said, per The Times. “It was just a formula, a blueprint that I found that worked.”
The rapper further explained what he gained from gang involvement. He said, “I would say, [I got] my career. Street credibility. Protection. All of it.”
The Five Nine Brims Are a Gang Based in San Diego; Redd Grew up in Ohio
Per United Gang, the Five Nine Brims are based in Southeast region of San Diego, and are also known as the Oceanview Basement Bloods.
Other famous members of the gang include rapper Gangsta E, who was shot and killed during a robbery attempt in 1992. Rivals for the Five Nine Brims include the Lincoln Park Bloods, per United Gangs.
Redd is originally from Ohio. The 20-year-old rapper has been described as “prolific” by DJBooth, having already created over 10 musical projects, including EPs and mixtapes. In an interview with the music blog in August, Redd said,
“I just love making music. I try to make music when I feel certain ways, and I’m always in the studio. I try to put out shit before I get tired of it. You end up getting what I worked on last year, and I’ve got a whole project that I’m working on that no one’s heard yet. That’s how it always goes.”
In August, Redd spoke to Complex about Tekashi 6ix9ine’s decision to work with the government as a plea deal. When asked if he was “surprised at all that 6ix9ine is ratting,” he replied laughingly, “Aye, I don’t talk about — we don’t talk about writers. You know what I’m saying? I don’t know no writers. What’s this, a magazine?”
You can watch the full interview above.