6ix9ine is letting it be known that he believes he paved the way for many of today’s top streamers.
The 29-year-old rapper made the declaration during a recent appearance on Adin Ross' Kick channel, explaining why he considers himself the "original content creator."
6ix9ine pointed out that his come-up preceded the peak of TikTok, Kick and Twitch, but claimed he created the blueprint for those who achieved massive success on those platforms.
"In 2018, there was no TikTok," he said at around the 40:44-minute mark in the video above. "Let me get this point across, and maybe y’all say I’m reaching, but this is what I truly believe… I walked, I went to jail, I entertained you guys with real-life crimes.
"I was out there putting my life on the line so you guys could run. When Vine was a thing, remember? Instagram. I was the original content creator. I know people don’t like me. It’s the right message, wrong messenger. But these is facts."
6ix9ine underscored his point by recalling some of his most memorable clip-farming stunts, like running up a hill while wielding an AK 47 and running through a hotel hall.
"Y’all remember that?" he continued. "Y’all was in high school. I walked so y’all could run, so streamers could run."
6ix9ine said he "respected" what streamers like Ross, IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat have achieved, but suggested they owed at least some of their success to him.
"My Instagram views and numbers were through the roof," he declared. "I think I was meant to be a streamer because I’m not faking nothing. I’m just charismatic, and when I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I’m human at the end of the day. But I respect what you do."
6ix9ine acknowledged he was a polarizing figure with controversial takes; however, he firmly believed that the bulk of his haters knew deep down he was usually correct.
"People don’t like me because they can’t control my mouth… and they’re like, 'Damn, he’s too right,'" he explained. "I’m not right about everything, because I’m human… I fed families. I’ve fed many families. I’ve created a lot of movements. But because I’m 6ix9ine, people are like, 'Nah, nah, nah.'"
Soulja Boy previously credited himself for inspiring 6ix9ine’s public persona. He explained his position during a 2019 appearance on The Breakfast Club, which was broadcast amid 6ix9ine’s incarceration.
"6ix9ine isn't nothing but a Soujla Boy child," the "Crank That" artist said, before referring to 6ix9ine’s highly publicized feuds. "He got all that shit from me when I was beefing with Chris Brown and Migos and Shia LaBeouf and everybody in the industry. 6ix9ine came out and just did the same thing I did. Now he's sitting in jail looking crazy, bruh!"