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This is a rather interesting turn of events!
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Sep 23, 2019
In a recent testimony in court, controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine accused rapper Cardi B of being in a gang. That's a pretty heavy accusation, no matter what the circumstances are — and while there's some suggestion that this was just "snitching" on Tekashi 6ix9ine's part, the question still remains: is Cardi B in a gang?
Let's look at what we know about this situation.
The accuser: Tekashi 6ix9ine
According to The New York Post, rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine is currently testifying in court thanks to his alleged involvement in various gang-related activities. The rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, says that in addition to Cardi B (real name: Belcalis Almanzar) being a member of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang, rapper Jim Jones of The Diplomats is also a reputed gang member.
"During his testimony, the rapper has detailed his life of crime with the crew, all while name-checking members such as rapper Jones, whom he identified as a Blood and “retired rapper.” Jurors on Thursday heard a wiretapped call between Jones and Nine Trey godfather Jamal “Mel Murda” Jones after Tekashi went on Power 105.1 to slam the crew as “fraud” and “dirty Bloods," reported the outlet.
It's worth noting that Hernandez said that he's testifying to not only help the government out with their pursuit of a Federal case, he's also looking to get a more lenient sentence. So, there's some question as to his credibility. Additionally, Hernandez is being referred to as a "snitch" in the hip hop community, perhaps for good reason, because of his propensity to talk to the Feds. Finally, for what it's worth, Jim Jones has neither confirmed nor denied the claims of his gang affiliation, though it's worth noting that Jones would frequently mention that he was a drug dealer before he became known as a rapper.
What Cardi B has to say
According to Oxygen, Cardi B admitted that in her younger days, she used to hang out with various gang members. And, yes, those gang members included affiliates of the Bloods gang. Additionally, fans of the rapper and actress have noted that her tweets include slang from the reputed gang, including her use of "B" in place of "C" in words that contain the letter. She also said that when she was younger, she joined the gang, but advises other young people against going down the road she walked down.
"If somebody was to tell me right now, 'I want to join a gang,' I would tell them that it's a waste of your money, it's a waste of your time. And then you can never leave it. Sometimes these people are gonna expect you to be at meetings when you have a job. You gotta be at work till 9:30 p.m., and you cannot go to a powwow because you at work. How you tell that to people?” she said to the outlet.
Her record label denies the claims
According to Billboard, Atlantic Records released a statement that read, in its entirety, "that's not true," when presented with Tekashi 6ix9ine's claims. But Hernandez insists that not only is Cardi B a member of the gang, he knew who she was "but didn't pay any attention to it," implying that it's common for rappers — both male and female — to be affiliated with gang members.
Is Cardi B in a gang?
"Cardi seems to be taking issue with her rep ... saying she IS a Blood, but absolutely not associated with 9 Trey. Cardi explained, in a tweet, she's a member of the Brim Bloods set," reported TMZ, who initially implied that Hernandez was "snitching" on Cardi B because he was trying to become famous in his rap career.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.