Derrick Keyes (born September 19, 1969), known professionally as Nine, is an American rapper from The Bronx, New York City. He is also known as 9MM or Nine Double M. Keyes got his break in early 1993 as a featured guest on Funkmaster Flex and the Ghetto Celebs' "Six Million Ways to Die". Keyes originally recorded under the moniker 9MM (or Nine Double M) before changing his name to simply Nine. He stated, "I didn't want to be just be named after the gun (9mm)."[1] His stage name refers to his date of birth (September 19, 1969), his shoe size, and his lucky number.[2]