Dummy Boy Album Review

When people are asked who the greatest musician of all time is, they will give a variety of responses. Some will say Michael Jackson, others are likely to say The Beatles. Many will probably say Elvis, and a few younger people may say someone like Beyonce. I would argue, however, that the greatest musician, not only of our time, but all time, is Daniel Hernandez, better known as 6ix9ine(AKA Tekashi69). His debut album DUMMY BOY proves this point. It is a beautiful representation of the pains of becoming famous, telling a mesmerizing story of Tekashi’s battles against depression, battling betrayal, and injustice in America. His mixtape DAY69, which released earlier this year to critical acclaim, discussed Hernandez’s struggles growing up in urban poverty, discussing topics such as police brutality and suicide with a refinement few others could compare to. The album also contained amazing hard hitting production and delivery from Tekashi’s trademark sound. Many people began to realize his talent from this, and Tekashi continued to rise to fame after this, but his most recent album DUMMY BOY truly cements 6ix9ine as one of the, if not the, greatest musician of all time. The album starts of with a bang with the opening track, STOOPID, having Tekashi let out his anger at the corruption in the American prison-industrial complex complex. The song's title is a reference to the many insults he faces for standing up against the system. He shouts out his “Apes” in the “Zoo” on this song. This is used to paint a brutally honest picture of the inhumane treatment of prisoners in U.S. prisons, calling out the abuse inmates face in many of America’s for-profit prisons by comparing it to the well-known poor conditions of animals in zoos. Later in the song he states “Shout out my Blood shout out my Crip.” This is used to show that 6ix9ine grew up in a rough environment, give legitimacy to his claims about the poor conditions many Americans face, but also shows that he wants to end gang violence because of his friendship with members of rival gangs, creating an inspirational message of the future to America’s youth that will end much of the unnecessary gun violence in this country. The song ends with a feature from Bobby Shmurda, a rapper who at the time of the writing of this is currently unjustly imprisoned for crimes he did not commit, simply because he wanted to prevent his friends from serving longer sentences. 69 uses this to show his connection to the prison system with people his is friends with suffering the unjust imprisonment he describes. On his raw verse, Shmurda says from the prison phone “I count the bricks put the word out.” This is Bobby announcing his plans to get into architecture after getting out of prison, hoping to let his friends and family know so they can assist him. He says this to encourage those listening who are considering committing crimes to instead instead take similar actions to try to put themselves into a stable occupation to provide for themselves. Bobby encourages economic development within the black community so that they can work together to have better lives. Upon first listen, the song seems to simply be a direct call out on the prison system, but upon closer analysis another message can be found. Throughout the song 6ix9ine interpolates lyrics from Chief Keef’s hit song Faneto and turns them against Chief Keef. Other lines dissing former friend and now rival rapper Trippie Redd can be found. These may seem like childish insults, but the reason for this is much more honorable. 6ix9ine was originally threatened by Keef’s cousin Tadoe for hanging out with female rapper cuban doll, whom Tadoe was dating. This became a feud as 6ix9ine exposed Tadoe for domestically abusing Cuban Doll, leading to a diss track titled I Kill People by Keef, Trippie, and Tadoe. This is 6ix9ine’s way of saying that domestic abuse is never acceptable, and that even the most famous of people should be called out on it, coinciding with the popular #MeToo movement against abuse and sexual assault of women. The Second track on the album is 6ix9ine’s chart topping hit FEFE, featuring Nicki Minaj. The song is a reference to a language spoken natively in Cameroon, used to show the influence of African culture on who he is. Despite being of Latino descent with little to no African blood, he embraces African-American culture in his image and life. This title is used to show his respect to the origins of the culture that means so much to him. It is also his way to show his views on culture and race, showing that race should not affect which culture you are part of, so long as you acknowledge the cultures origins. This idea is breaking new ground in terms of the pure idea of what culture is, as it is an identity that unites different people, rather than a way of dividing them into separate groups. In this song Hernandez illustrates his straining relations with those he cares for, and the isolation fame gives him. He uses a more melodic, quieter delivery to show how fame has changed him as a person, with his voice being a analogy for his personality. He states in the song’s infectious hook, “I don’t really want no friends.” This is showing how he has so many trust issues after fame that he finds it easier to simply have no friends than figuring out who is his friend and who is his foe. It paints a picture of a depressing life that many would not expect for someone with so much wealth. In his verse 6ix9ine describes his strained relationship with his girlfriend and the mother of his child, saying “Talk to her nice so she won’t fight back.” This continues to show 6ix9ine’s growing apathy for his life, just trudging along without trying to improve anymore. This establishes the themes of depression that will be explored more later in the album. Nicki Minaj continues the theme of losing your personality to fame in her verse, saying that she “hates small talk.” She shows that she no longer has a life where she can appreciate the little things, being so wrapped up in the fame that she has no time to do anything she wants anymore. This song begins to express the dangers of fame that many don’t know. The next song is titled TIC TOC, named after the sound of a clock, used to describe his expensive watch. This is a follow up to the last song, showing the positives of fame. It is used not to brag, but to explain why people are so dragged to fame and willing to stay famous despite the pains described in the previous song. Despite making an image of being blinded by wealth, he says in the beginning “You think i’m dumb, I ain’t no kid.” Tekashi wants to establish that he still acknowledges his problems and is working on improving his life, and that you shouldn’t assume him to be unintelligent just because he faces struggles that you may not understand. The feature from Lil Baby continues to show that overcoming struggles is easier said than done, saying “I been drinkin' all this lean, I know I need to stop.” showing his struggles with drug addiction. He wants to show to those that believe that all drug addicts are mindless idiots that it isn’t true, and they need greater help to overcome their struggles, not punishment. It is Lil Baby giving his opinion on the controversial debate over whether criminals should be punished or treated a debate originally brought to light by famous reformers Theodore Dwight and Enoch Wines in the mid-1800s, In his verse, 6ix9ine uses creative flow to show off the positives of wealth and fame, describing his ownership of jewelry, his expensive vacations, and his designer clothing. He wants to show that he desires to find a way to prove visually that he is not poor to the upper classes, so that they will accept him and no longer treat him as lesser for his upbringing that he couldn’t help being born into. The fourth song on the album, KIKA, is a story of betrayal that he experienced after becoming famous, named after a spanish film that describes similar themes. The song features Toronto rapper and singer Tory Lanez on the hook, repeating “I do my own stunts, Jackie Chan with it” to prove the point that he rose to fame on his own work, saying that he has put in much work and deserves acknowledgement, despite common claims that musicians like him don’t do most of the work in their songs. 6ix9ine works to continue to disprove this misconception about the music industry by describing how those who he trusted to help him in life betrayed him. He explains how the reason he no longer associates with his former friends, as it is not that he left them out of greed as many people assumem, but that they tried to betray him. This song, although made a while ago, seems to almost be a prediction of the events that would befall upon Tekashi recently, with his former associates in his management scamming him and plotting to murder him. This shows Hernandez’s talent for highly realistic storytelling, as the pictures that he paints can easily become true. He also states “Thought she loved me,” showing 6ix9ine’s struggles with romance. He does not want the attention of the many women he is receiving and only wants to settle down with his one true love, but is emotionally ripped to shreds when he founds out he was not loved by the one he trusted most, continuing the songs heartbreaking theme of betrayal. The song finishes with some more attacks on the draconian legal system, with Tory attempting to shout 6ix9ine’s signature catchphrase TREYWAY, but remembers “I forgot you can’t say that.” This is a direct attack on how arbitrary the laws are, restricting Daniel’s god given right to freedom of speech, over something as trivial as the name of his manager. It is meant to encourage free thinking against the legal system, which the government clearly does not want, explaining Tekashi’s baseless arrest recently. The next song, MAMA, is an analysis on the wealth divide in america, and the deception that is the claim of a middle class. The song is titled after his mother, who worked hard to give the perception that Tekashi grew up well off in an attempt to give him a happier childhood, a comparison to the same tactic the 1% uses, but for more nefarious purposes. 6ix9ine talks about having a girl over at his house, saying “Thought I had it free, kick her out, my mama comin’ home at three.” This describes Hernandez’s life living with his mom and older brother into his mid 20’s, which even now he does even if it’s at a nicer house. He wants to hide his fact as it exposes his poverty, showing that many of those who claim to be middle class are hiding their true wealth, or rather their lack thereof. In his verse Kanye west also makes this point proclaiming “Man, oh my god, She Instagram famous but she can’t keep her job.” which simultaneously backs up 6ix9ine’s point while showing off the evils of social media, as it sets a higher standard that you can’t live up, so it causes you to deceive others to fit this image. Kanye’s statement “Oh, Jesus Christ, I don’t need advice” Is Kanye’s message as a dedicated Christian that he can live without relying on religion. This is used to parallel the declining importance of religion in the first world, which Kanye is also involved in, but saying that he has not yet left his roots, used to show the greater message that even if change is the way towards progress, shown by the mere fact that he’s on a song with someone as innovative and revolutionary as 6ix9ine, yet keeping some of the old can be useful. Nicki Minaj says on her part that “Kanye dressed her up like a doll” This is used to show how her image was made up and painted to seem better than her life really is. She then refers to herself, Kanye, and 6ix9ine as “The dream team”, showing the idea of luxury that most Americans think is feasible, yet in reality isn’t as the elites control most of the country. 6ix9ine ends the song by saying “Make her spend that money”, referring to the character Nicki pretended to be. This is him telling his ideas for increased taxation of the rich, forcing them to give off the money they needlessly hoard to those is more desperate situations. It also reveals 6ix9ine’s political ideology of being both socially and economically socialist. The next song is titled WAKA, named after a form of Japanese poetry, which 6ix9ine compares his music to to show it’s eloquence, beauty, and timelessness. The song reflects 6ix9ine’s desire to end the violence in his community. His guest on this song, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, sings “you want beef but this ain’t no burger”, displaying his lack of desire for conflict. He wants to end the unnecessary beef, which he leaves to 6ix9ine, who is known for having many, though as established earlier his beefs have justification. 6ix9ine then plays a character, describing the horrors of gun violence. He says “Boom! Everybody runnin’ out the room. Boom! Everybody beggin’ ‘Don’t shoot!’” This paints a horrifying picture of one of the mass shootings in America. He hopes to establish greater gun restrictions such as requiring greater requirements for registration and restricting where they can be carried. Growing up in bushwick, Tekashi has grown up surrounded by gun violence, so he hopes to use his platform to inspire positive change and restrict gun usage. The next two songs, BEBE and MALA, are absolutely lovely spanish ballads. I know they have a deeper meaning because they are written by 6ix9ine, but I don’t speak spanish so I won’t be the one to figure it out. The following song, KANGA, is a song about accepting others and body positivity. The songs is named after an ethnic minority in Sudan, which are viewed as weird backwards tribalists by the western world, but in this instance are used to show acceptance of these “weird” people, calling for cultural equality. He starts off talking about a girl who loves him, which is used to show how it is possible to accept those with abnormal appearances such as himself. 6ix9ine intentionally makes his appearance go against all of society’s standards, as he wants to show how everything that does not harm another should be accepted. His popular phrase SCUM GANG is a reference to this, as scum is an acronym for Society Can’t Understand Me. 6ix9ine is quite blunt and a bit uncharacteristically vulgar on this song, saying “Little booties, they matter over here” then saying that fat women also deserve love. The reason for this crudeness is that many people who objectify women will want to listen to a song that sounds like it is sexualiing women, which will make it easier for Tekashi to spread his message of acceptance to those who need to hear it the most. Kanye West states “They tried to say I wasn’t black no more” describing the hate he receives, as he is seen as a traitor due to his wealth. He wants to show that he is not a greedy aristocrat, which he later proved by donating large sums of money to causes such as Chicago education, California fires, and victims of police brutality. Hernandez then exclaims “They don’t like me ‘cause I’m Mexican” Describing a sad truth about the racism in America. Despite being one of the most intelligent and beneficial members of society, people still hate him due to his race which he cannot help. This is also a callout against President Trump’s policies, showing his support for socialists such as Bernie Sanders in the 2020 election, hoping to spread an important message to America’s youth. The next song is titled FEEFA, named after the soccer league that inspired him as a child and motivated him to achieve stardom, only spelled differently due to copyright laws. The song is one of Tekashi’s most emotional, as it details Daniel’s struggles with depression and his fear of death. The song starts with fellow rapper Gunna saying “Trapped on one stop” showing how when you are depressed you feel as though you have nowhere to go, stuck in one location. The use of Gunna as a feature has a deeper meaning, as he is commonly seen as the partner to earlier feature Lil Baby. The use of Baby and Gunna on the most uplifting and the most solemn song on the album is used for contrast, a use of parallelism that is nothing short of revolutionary. After telling about his personal struggles with depression, Tekashi cries “Get on one knee I prayed to the lord that he’d watch my family”, then talks about how he hopes that his fans and friends remember him. This shows 6ix9ine’s fear of death, as he is uncertain that an afterlife is uncertain. His praying proves that he is not atheist, yet his confusion implies that he is not of an abrahamic religion that believes in heaven. This implies that Daniel is likely Hindu, and is more likely worried about how his loved ones will fare in life once he is reincarnated as an animal that cannot communicate with them anymore, and he wishes the best for them in reincarnation as well. The next song is named after a traditional burmese instrument, called TATI, used to show the evolution of music from simple chords without lyrics to the masterful and complex creations of those like himself, showing that his music is the next step in the progression of the auditory artform. 6ix9ine says “I just left Starlets and I ain’t even cash out.” Starlets is a popular NYC strip club near where 6ix9ine lives. His lack of spending money there shows that he is attempting to resist his urges and support this misogynistic industry, but peer pressure causes him to find himself in this sad situation again. He then states that if he “catch you lackin’, turn you into has-beens” This is used to refer to the corporate elite, who forces their laborers into doing hard work yet tend to relax often. 6ix9ine is giving a warning that once the revolution occurs, if he finds any of these people relaxing in the ways in which they restricted others from doing, he will make sure they lose all credibility as a taste of their own medicine. He then questions “Why you stalking me?” This is used to call out Tekashi’s obsessive fans, so he asks them why, why they decide to base their identity around him. He wants to say that even if you look up to him, you should find your own identity to prevent a cult of personality from forming, showing Hernandez’s brave stands against Authoritarianism. The penultimate song WONDO is titled after an Important American soccer player, representing Tekashi’s identity as both American and Mexican (with soccer being the most popular sport in Mexico). Tekashi is known to support both his home country of America, with multiple instances of donating to educational charities in his home city of New York, as well as giving food to the homeless of Chicago. He also wants to support his roots, however, going so far as to give enough money to build an entire school in Mexico, among other things. Hernandez is known to be one of the most kind hearted and generous celebrities. This brief song is meant to represent Tekashi’s questioning of his identity, as the title implies, saying “I might have to move on them”, showing his long-stated desire to move to eastern Europe, an area of the globe that has long accepted him even before fame, yer he wonders whether he can truly abandon his old identity, and even if he can, is it morally right. The closing track DUMMY is used to show Tekashi’s advancement as a person. He features his longtime friend Trifedrew to show his respect for the home he grew up with and his friends who stayed with him no matter what. He says that he “remembers the days we were starvin’” which shows his suffering with malnourishment as a child. He then says that the “Foreign land looks like a spaceship” referring to the future of the earth, believing that global warming will destroy the earth to the point where finding a extraterrestrial planet will be the only way to save humanity. He believes that he can use his future to inspire change needed to save the earth, but the rich oil companies that control America imprisoned Tekashi to restrict his revolution. A modern day storming of the Bastille is likely to come to spur the much needed modern equivalent to the French revolution to spread radical ideas. All in all, 6ix9ine is one of the most innovative artists in history. He combines beautiful, sonically pleasing masterpieces with intellectual lyrics that call for major societal changes, while also addressing struggles he faces along the way. His current unjust imprisonment may stand as an obstacle to success, but I believe 6ix9ine can become the new messiah, bringing a new age of prosperity of peace to this world. I encourage anyone and everyone to listen to this album, as it is not only amazing, but is going to be very influential in the coming months, years and even decades. A masterpiece of this generation, I feel bad that a 10/10 is the highest I can give this modern classic.