6ix9ine believes his influence extends far beyond hip-hop and during a candid appearance on Adin Ross’ Kick channel, the rapper, born Daniel Hernandez, opened up about his larger-than-life persona and why he thinks he helped shape the internet entertainment era long before Twitch and TikTok took over.
“I really feel like I was the original content creator,” he told Ross. “Back in 2018, there was no TikTok. I went to jail, I made headlines, I lived in front of everyone…that was real-life entertainment. I walked so y’all could run.”
The 29-year-old, known for his rainbow hair, viral feuds and legal run-ins, says his outrageous antics set a tone that modern-day creators have since perfected.
“When Vine was a thing, when Instagram was just getting crazy. I was doing it first,” he said. “People might not like me, but that doesn’t make what I’m saying less true. It’s the right message, wrong messenger.”
He pointed to some of his more infamous stunts whhc included sprinting through hotels or filming himself in unpredictable situations. “Y’all were in high school watching that,” he said. “I walked so the streamers could run.”
Despite the bold claim, 6ix9ine made sure to show love to creators like Ross, Kai Cenat, and IShowSpeed, calling them “talented” and “authentic.”
“I respect what they do,” he said. “My numbers on Instagram were insane… maybe I was meant to be a streamer. I don’t fake nothing. I’m just being me. When I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I’m human.”
The rapper acknowledged that his brash personality and history of controversy often overshadow his point.
“People don’t like me because they can’t control what I say,” he admitted. “I’m not perfect. But I’ve fed families, I’ve started movements, I’ve done things that changed culture — and people still say, ‘Nah, not him.’”
Still, 6ix9ine seems unfazed by the criticism. For him, his impact speaks louder than the backlash. “You don’t have to like me,” he said. “But you can’t say I didn’t change the game.”