Photo: instagram
Hint: it has to do with Tekashi 6ix9ine.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Oct 25, 2019
One of the most popular slang terms in the American lexicon was "treyway," which is sometimes styled as "tr3yway." First uttered by Kifano “Shotti” Jordan, treyway is something that gets uttered frequently by fans and followers of those in hip-hop today. But what does "treyway" mean?
One just never knows when a new word will enter the lexicon. However, it helps when the person uttering it has a loud, effusive personality, and Kifano "Shotti" Jordan has not come up short in the personality department. He's someone who upon entering a room has all the eyes on him, and all the ears trained to listen to his every word.
So let's see what all the hype is about.
1. It started with Tekashi 6ix9ine's manager, who was just sentenced to prison.
Complex reports that Kifano "Shotti" Jordan was the first one to utter the word "treyway." His name rings bells in the hip-hop world because he's best known as Tekashi 6ix9ine's manager, who was just sentenced to 15 years in prison for his part in the racketeering case against the "Gummo" rapper.
2. Kifano "Shotti" Jordan also named his company Treyway Entertainment.
Another report for Complex reveals that Kifano "Shotti" Jordan was so in love with the word "treyway" that he named his management company "Treyway Entertainment." His influence on Tekashi 6ix9ine was so far-reaching, he even provided backing vocals on two of Tekashi 6ix9ine's songs.
3. Before he called himself "Shotti," Kifano Jordan also called himself "Treyway."
In 2016, Kifano Jordan was arrested when he was caught after he tried to run away from the cops, according to NJ.com. The outlet reports that when he was arrested, Jordan identified himself as "Treyway Jordan," and said that this was his "street name."
4. The dealings that Kifano "Shotti" Jordan had with Tekashi 6ix9ine were ... strange, to say the least.
The New York Post published a never-before-seen photo of Kifano "Shotti" Jordan posing with Tekashi 6ix9ine and Mr. Met, the mascot of the baseball team The New York Mets. The outlet reports that right after this photo was taken, Kifano "Shotti" Jordan and Tekashi 6ix9ine were called and advised that someone tried to rob a fellow Nine Trey Gangsta Blood. Shortly thereafter, violence and bloodshed broke out.
5. Kifano "Shotti" Jordan also allegedly tried to have Tekashi 6ix9ine's baby mama killed.
"The rapper's former manager Kifano Jordan AKA Shotti has also admitted to criminal activities including shooting five people — now alleged audio has leaked of the music executive reportedly threatening to shoot 6ix9ine's baby mama Sara Molina and their daughter," reported Capital Xtra.
6. So what does Treyway mean?
According to Dictionary.com, Treyway is just a "tag line" used by Tekashi 6ix9ine and his affiliates. Like the words "G-Unit" (which is technically short for Gorilla Unit) and "Dipset" (refers to The Diplomats, or 'The Diplomat Set'), "treyway" is a word shouted to indicate your affiliation with another group of people ... except in this case, the "group" in question is the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
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.