The story of Tekashi 69 continues to unfurl and Sara Molina is one of the few people that can legitimately speak on the rise and fall of Daniel Hernadez. She was there before the persona 6ix9ine emerged as one of the most controversial, infamous artists ever. Molina, who is also the mother of Tekashi’s young daughter, explains in detail how the Brooklyn rapper was the one that really lead the violent uprising of the NYC Bloods sect TreyWay. She also explains the allegations of pedophilia that plagued the rapper’s career early on. Lastly, she tells how her child addresses her father as one of the most recognizable personalities on earth, in a frank, sordid way.
Sara is the center of a new, controversial documentary called “69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez,” which was bootstrapped by unconventional director Vikram Gandhi. The film peers into the background of the rapper, interviewing a host of people that knew him best. Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur talks to Sara Molina about her life, her child’s life, and the life of one Daniel Hernadez aka Tekashi69.
AllHipHop: First of all, how are you doing? Your life? I feel like I almost know you because it seems like through social media and everything your life is like just being played out through the years in front of our eyes. How are you doing nowadays?
Sara Molina: I’m good. You know, it’s still something that is like, I can’t really wrap my head around too much. It’s just like, for the last two and a half, close to three years, my life has been from what it seems documented it over social media. So I mean, besides, you know, still understanding that I’ve been, you know, adapting to everything well.
AllHipHop: Now you’re, you know, you’ve got close to half a million followers on Instagram alone, which is, which is kind of crazy. Um, largely due to the affiliation with Takashi and things of that nature and all that goes along with that. Um, how do you feel about this sort of way that your life has been positioned in terms of being under that type of a microscope and having those in the eyeballs on you?
Sara Molina: I mean, it’s not it’s not something I planned out for myself, you know, it’s just what? What happened? What came with life? So, I just take it as it goes.
AllHipHop: Yeah. Now with this documentary, “69:The Saga of Daniel Hernandez” – it is really dramatic. It’s interesting to see this come out so quickly, and also a, really just be an unauthorized documentary and an unauthorized look at his life. What role do you play in the documentary?
Sara Molina: I feel like I play close to the biggest role in the documentary if you want to get technical, so it was essential for me to be a part of it because no one knows him the way I do, you know? I have a different relationship with that man, from everybody else that was on the documentary, you know, gone through more, I know him on a more intimate level. So, I feel like it was okay for me to speak on who he is. Because I actually know him. You know, I’m not just around someone who worked with him. I wasn’t just a friend, I was, you know, his partner for seven years, or not the mother of his child, so who better just speak on him as a person and knowing him than me? And at the same time, I got to tell him my story. And my truth.
AllHipHop: How has he changed? I mean, a lot of people talk about what at least in the documentary, they speak about him being two people at one point, and then it’s sort of merging into one. Is that accurate? And, and sort of how do you, you know, process that?
Sara Molina: I believe it to be accurate, accurate, like, Punch said it better than I’ve actually heard anybody really see. Anybody really say when they were two separate people, and slowly, you know, the character morphed into one, you know, he lost sight of who he really was.
AllHipHop: How was he when you first met him? How did you guys meet? And how was he?
Sara Molina: We met through mutual friends. I went to high school with some friends that I knew him that were in Pro, you know, I know, Shadow. I know, those guys. The guys that were on the documentary as well, that we all grew up with. So we, you know, he reached out to me via Facebook at the time, and just from that day, on every day since we’ve been, you know, we were together and we were talking. They just like we clicked up instantly. And, you know, that’s just what it was like, we were young. And we didn’t know nothing about love. We didn’t know nothing about engaging or interacting with people. It’s just like, we was just kids.
AllHipHop: Yeah, we’ll see. Nice, nice guy?
Sara Molina: Funny. He was very funny and very charismatic. He was a smart, you know, so, I mean, he always kept me laughing. So that was like, the main thing that, you know, even in the worst of situations, he would do something where I couldn’t be serious and I couldn’t, you know, not want to forgive him. He is not perfect, just like everybody else. But, I mean, his, his way of being is just, you know…I wouldn’t know how to really explain it, ’cause I’ve never been in those shoes. He was he wasn’t really that bad of a person before you know? Selfish. Yes. But the way you got to now is just completely different. I wouldn’t be able to explain the person he is today. I don’t know that person.
AllHipHop: Right? When he started to get attract attention in – like becoming a centerpiece of the Hip-Hop scene in New York, especially. How did you respond to that? Were you excited? Were you cautious about it? Because from the get-go, at least from the rap side, it seemed like it was just it like fast and furious.
Sara Molina: Everything happened so rapidly the way he picked up, even though it felt like a long time coming. You know, it felt like he was doing it for years. It felt like, at one point. “You’ve been doing it for so long, I’ve seen no outcome, is this really gonna happen for you? I love you, I’ll still be with you.” But at some point, I found myself as a mom, being in a relationship with him and still feeling like a single mother because [music] is what he put his all into. So, I felt alone, dealing with my daughter, but once I started seeing things change him being [inaudible]. And just the drive it gave him, I knew, I know, we’re gonna be different. And I never doubted a Hollywood movie. I just knew that it would happen, you know. But the way that he was going about it was, I’ma be completely honest. It wasn’t the music, it was just the image. And it completely turned me off. “Ahhh, I’m not one of these girls that you rap about. And, you know, I’m here with you, and I’m in this relationship. And now I got to worry about you living the lifestyle that you’re rapping about. I got to worry about these girls, I got to worry about you being disrespectful, I got to worry about all this other stuff.” So immediately, like, after I saw, like it picked up and the attention and the things that he was doing, I was kind of turned off. It’s hard. It’s hard for me as a woman to see that.
AllHipHop: Yeah. And what about the media? This has played out for you in the media, as well as him being portrayed in the media to social media or otherwise? You know, it’s kind of two different things, but sort of the same? Has the media turned you off? Have they they told lies, have they, you know, exaggerated or whatever.
Sara Molina: The internet is the internet. It is undefeated, I will be stupid to try to like, argue with everyone who says something wrong about me or says something that I don’t like, underneath my comments, my pictures, my stories, or just simple stuff. It’s just like… I just learned to like, take it for what it is, this is what comes with it, you know. I’m gonna have people who aren’t gonna like me, and I’m gonna have people who are gonna love me, but it’s just like that. And at the end of the day, I appreciate those who sympathize with my story and who can relate and who support me genuinely. And then for those who don’t, I don’t care. I don’t ever have to see their faces, you know? There’s not a day that I will meet at any one of these people who are underneath my comments, talking the s### that they’re talking, and there’s no chance in hell that I’m gonna meet them and they’re gonna disrupt any peace I have going on in my personal life. So, it’s not even worth giving an effort to even go back and forth with. Yeah, I have my times where, you know, I might post up something or – I’m only human – so I am I’m gonna feel, you know, I’m gonna lead with my emotion at times. But it’s just, most time, I feel like I do keep a strong front, and a good a good face for social media when it comes to like, my personal life, and how all these people think they know my life better than anyone wanted to pick on who they think I am as a person.
AllHipHop: And you, you have a lovely daughter, I might add. I looked at the socials and I was like, “Wow, she’s beautiful.” You know? How is she processing all this? And how do you parent with these circumstances?
Sara Molina: I mean, as hard as I go for my daughter, I go that hard because she deserves it. But it still has no effect – my daughter doesn’t know any of what’s going on? I feel like me and my family do that to the best of our ability to make sure she’s not thrown in the mix with she feels at odds with what the situation is. You know, feels like [the Tekashi 69 situation] is her fault or whatever. Kids go through their own feelings, kids, you know, they see what’s going on. But luckily, you know, it’s not so much out of the ordinary to where it’s affecting her. So, she’s good.
AllHipHop: Is she aware of of her father? Does she see him? (Sara immediately says “No”) Okay, so does she know that her dad’s Tekashi at all?
Sara Molina:No, she, honestly. Truthful…when I allowed him to see our daughter and that’s only a few months ago for the first time, [after] two years, a year. She called him “friend.” She doesn’t know. But it tripped me out when she did it. Because it looks like she hasn’t seen his face this time. So you know, as as a mother when I was you know, going through the stuff the whole hand being locked up for trial, everything. You know, I even though I want my daughter was young, I just wanted to see it did have an effect. So there would be times when I would show my daughter his videos, or like saw a video that he might have on her page to see who she refers to him as. Not that I put on her. That’s your dad, that’s your dad. If I have to walk around saying that’s my baby’s father, you gotta walk around saying, that’s your dad. (Laughs) I don’t ever try to stay away from who her father is. But if he’s not making his presence known, then that’s on him. You now? If she knows you’re a familiar face, but don’t know you’re your dad and is calling you her “friend.” That’s kind of sad . She’s calling my guy in front of you, while he’s sitting at our table, “dad.” It should be embarrassment to him and kind of a low blow. You can be as great as a superstar and you can be all these things to everybody else in the world. You can do great at what you do. Great at trolling and marketing. Great at coloring your f##king hair, but you can’t be a great dad and that’s, you know, it’s unfortunate. And it sucks.