Rapper Tekashi69 under investigation in Chief Keef shooting case
Chicago rapper Chief Keef's shooting earlier this month in New York City quite possibly came as a rude awakening to the 'I Don't Like' hitmaker, though he did manage to escape unscathed. Authorities had since been on the lookout for the two men who were caught on surveillance camera on the scene and had reportedly been investigating the involvement of fellow rapper Tekashi69 in the incident.
Tekashi69, more popularly known as 6ix9ine, was engaged in a bitter social media war of words with Keef, and police felt that they had to do their due diligence in exploring his connection to the shooting.
Initially, he was ruled out as a possible suspect, but TMZ now reports that investigators have uncovered a connection between the rapper and one of the men caught in the footage.
The tabloid states that they have been informed that 6ix9ine is a 'known associate' of one of the suspects. However, it is still all speculation at this point, with the police having no evidence to suggest that these two 'persons of interest' are indeed responsible for the shooting.
At 6 am on June 2, Keef was shot at outside the W Hotel in Times Square. Fortunately, the bullet missed the rapper, instead striking hotel signage. It was still unclear how many times Keef was shot at or the motive for the crime.
Police apparently discovered shell casings at the scene and were said to be looking for two black males wearing hoodies who fled from the shooting. The man who was found to be the associate of 6ix9ine, as well as his compatriot, was caught on camera stalking Keef from a downtown Manhattan restaurant to the W. Hotel just hours before the shooting, Keef was staying at the said hotel and was returning after a night out.
Tekashi has denied any wrongdoing in the incident and has claimed he was not involved. His entourage informed TMZ that the rapper was in Los Angeles at the time of the shooting, downplaying his social media beef with Keef.
Their feud escalated earlier this month when Tekashi took Keef's baby mama, Slim Danger, on a $75,000 shopping spree at Gucci for her birthday. A clip posted by Tekashi shows the pair at the Gucci store in NYC with wads of cash in his hand. Danger terms Keef a 'deadbeat dad' in the clip and Tekashi chimes in and says: "If you don't know how to take care of your girl, n***as gonna take care of her for you."
It seems that XXXTentacion, who was shot and killed in Miami on Monday, had, in a way, predicted these turn of events. Known to be good friends with Tekashi, he had reportedly become preoccupied with dying young because of the feuds he had cultivated and had warned Tekashi not to follow in those footsteps.
Tekashi even shared the private messages the pair shared before XXXTentacion's death. He had sent three messages that read "Keep moving smart, squashing that beef was a good move. When you get out, move smarter, more patient, more relaxed," and "Be safe okay, Never let your guard down."
The beef squashed quite possibly refers to Tekashi ending his long-running feud with Trippie Redd, though if the police are indeed correct this time around, it seems as though his issues with Keef run much deeper.
Meanwhile, ex-NBA star Matt Barnes, who comes from a tough background, has said that the death of rapper XXXTentacion should serve as a warning to Tekashi69, that he could be next unless he stops getting mixed up with real-life gang members.
Barnes suggested that XXX got in too deep with real killers and was messing with the wrong people. He then warned Tekashi, "Bro must have a death wish, man, cause these motherf**kers are not playing. They eat for a living. They eat motherf**kers like this for a living."
The message Barnes had for the young rappers was that gangs and gun violence only lead to death.