Anthony Malascalza and Rapper 6ix9ine Meet to Advocate for Clean Energy

Clean energy advocate Anthony Malascalza and rapper 6ix9ine had a lifetime of catching up to do when they met and spent the day together earlier this year.

Though born two years and several states apart, Anthony and 6ix9ine (born Daniel Fernandez) had near-identical and equally challenging childhoods.

For starters, they both needed more guidance during their formative years. While Anthony had to deal with his parent’s divorce at the age of four, 6ix9ine didn’t even meet his father until he was nine years old, and even then, all they had was a brief relationship.

They also shared a love for sports, though their promising athletic careers remained short-lived. Anthony, who once dreamed of being in the Football League, got injured in his senior year in high school. Meanwhile, 6ix9ine was assigned to a Major League Soccer team at 13, but his mother refused to leave him in the care of strangers at such a young age.

Left grappling for career options and needing more guidance from the adults they grew up around, Anthony and 6ix9ine spent the first few years of adulthood bouncing from one odd job to another, trying to make ends meet.

However, the experience of going through these enormous challenges is not the only thing Anthony Malascalza and 6ix9ine shared.

Despite the bad cards they were dealt early in life, both men believed they were meant for something greater. They both knew they could build a better life if they only knew how to change the ones they had.

At the end of the day, all they needed was a little nudge in the right direction. And fortunately, that was precisely what the universe had in store for them. For 6ix9ine, his nudge came in the form of a CEO of a record label visiting the bodega he was working in then and asking if he was a rapper. This gave him the idea that he could make a career as a rapper. The rest, as they say, is history.

But for Anthony, the nudge in the right direction didn’t come quite as quickly — or as serendipitously.

“After going to a trade high school at my father’s advice and finding out my heart wasn’t really in it, I applied to about 250 different jobs,” says Anthony. “I probably showed up to 40 or 50 interviews, and nobody would hire me.”

That was until one man in the energy deregulation space decided to take a chance on young Anthony.

“Right off the bat, I felt that this job interview was different from all the ones I’ve been to before,” recalls Anthony. “The guy who interviewed me had a laid-back vibe; he even had a martini during the interview. And all he asked me was if I knew many people from Delaware, which I did.”

And just like that, Anthony Malascalza was hired.

He was a door-to-door salesman who offered families a way to get clean, green energy from renewable sources. Anthony enjoyed spreading the word about the benefits of renewables, which include households gaining more control over their electricity bills. But more importantly, he proved so brilliant as a salesman that he got a salary increase of three times the initial amount offered.

After learning the ropes of working in the energy deregulation space, Anthony soon felt ready to strike out independently.

“I felt like I gained enough experience, wisdom, and money to take on the energy deregulation industry on my own,” says Anthony. “Even if it meant I had to rely on myself for everything, I did it. I purchased my office space, worked more hours than ever, and started building my brand.”

This marked the birth of LCM, Inc., a marketing and consulting company specializing in door-to-door sales in the energy deregulation niche market. It is known as one of Delaware’s most rapidly expanding outreach companies.

It was clear as day that Anthony was finally doing something he loved and getting paid what he deserved for it. After earning a million dollars within one year of striking out on his own, he’s now gunning for $10 million in sales with the help of his 15-man staff and 100-strong contractors.

And no one could be more excited for him than 6ix9ine, who was delighted to discover that he wasn’t the only one who could turn a challenging childhood into raging success as an adult.

Upon learning about LCM, Inc. through Anthony himself, 6ix9ine couldn’t help but stamp his approval on the company Anthony built from the ground up.

“LCM is the hottest brand in the nation,” says 6ix9ine in an Instagram video. “So, make sure you check them out.”

McClatchy newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.