NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Tekashi 69 has entered the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, sharing space with notable figures such as the Venezuelan president and a high-profile CEO. The artist, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, turned himself in on Tuesday to begin his final period of incarceration.
Hernandez arrived at the facility in an upscale van, accompanied by internet personality Adin Ross and a film crew, streaming the event live. This prison is New York’s only federal lockup, yet it has such a troubled reputation that some judges have opted against sending inmates there, labeling it as, well, “hell on earth” due to its infamous conditions and ongoing violence.
As it stands, the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, resides there, alongside others like Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murder, and Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare.
Over time, MDC Brooklyn has been home to various notorious inmates, including music figures like R. Kelly and Sean “Diddy” Combs, as well as Ghislaine Maxwell, a long-time associate of Jeffrey Epstein.
Though Hernandez’s attorney did not provide immediate comments regarding the situation, they have previously mentioned a desire for him to complete his sentence so he could return to making music. Last year, Hernandez admitted to breaking the terms of his supervised release connected to a gang case, which involved an assault and drug possession.
In December, he was sentenced to an additional three months in federal custody, following an earlier 45-day sentence for the same violations, which will extend to early 2024. Hernandez gained fame through his 2017 track “Gummo,” but the following year, he publicly acknowledged his connections to the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a violent gang based in New York.
Originally, he was sentenced to two years in prison and five years of supervised release after cooperating with authorities in a 2019 racketeering investigation involving fellow gang members. He was released early from federal prison during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
His current sentence stems from a police raid at his Miami home, which uncovered small quantities of cocaine and ecstasy. Authorities also report that he was involved in an altercation at a Florida mall, where he punched a man who mocked him for his cooperation with law enforcement.
