Reason First: Is Shotti Way out of Line or on the Right Path When It Comes to His Opinion of Tekashi69?

Though the YouTube video of the conversation between Shotti and DJ Pvnch is no longer available, the fallout from the talks has rung through the corners of the Internet like a church bell. Former manager for Tekashi69, Shotti, has called the young MC an “ungrateful rat bastard.” He then goes onto say that he’s fine without his protégé. In the vein of Jay-Z’s classic “Dead Presidents II,” Shotti says in a sense that hustling just ain’t Tekashi69 and that he forgives him.

The snitching dilemma is at a level of mountain peaks. It is in the best interest of the individual to work with the authorities. They might get the backlash, the subjective hate, and the criticism, but it is their life that they're talking about. Shotti won’t be “out in the world” for over a decade as it stands now. Why would anyone want to choose prison life over being free on the outside of the concrete walls and barbed wire?

It’s simple. Inmates have it better than some people in the streets. In the penitentiary, it’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Prisoners get three square meals and a place to sleep. They can do their taxes and pursue diplomas and degrees during their stint behind the wall.

So for a snitch to know all of that and still risk the ridicule and resentment of telling on their close associates, it is better to be able to reduce the time because liberty triumphs over all of those amenities.

To be able to breathe the air in Saint Tropez from a yacht or walk along the beaches of Ibiza is too enticing to relinquish freedom of motion. Reduced sentences, community service, and time spent while awaiting trial all mean that informers have the capacity to choose their fate. This is where free will comes into play most prominently. The choice to offer information is a life decision. All that a snitch has is the opportunity to relate his or her story in order to receive the benefits of not having to serve too much time or none at all.

Tekashi69 represents the new wave of snitches who are out for self. And this is a good thing. This act out of self-preservation is a boon to the growing mind and replenishment for the hungry soul. So for Shotti to castigate Tekashi69 and then pardon him demonstrates his maturity level. He has viewed the situation and can see with a keen mind that Tekashi69 is a young man who wants to enjoy his riches and reap the good life.

As Shotti mentions that “Tr3way is not dead,” he is issuing a warning to all up and comers, snitches and anyone who thought that the organization had imploded. While he won’t see the light of day in freedom until 2030, Shotti is saying that Tekashi69 will forever be branded a snitch. But is this so bad? For a man in the prime of his life to come forward with information to protect himself is rationally self-interested. If it means that he has to drag down the rest of the crew for past offenses, then so be it. If Tekashi69 must seek the way of the numerous Mafia crime members who “told,” then let that be reality. Shotti’s not angry with Tekashi69 because he knows that the rapper was not built for the life of crime. And he can contemplate all of this from the comfort of his jail cell.