10:20 AM PT -- We now have the transcript of Tekashi's plea hearing from last week, and he opens up about how he got involved in the criminal activity, and does a lot of snitching.

In court, he says he joined the Nine Trey Bloods in the fall of 2017 and in March 20, 2018 ... he admits helping members of the gang attempt to kill a rival to "increase my own standing in Nine Trey." Then on April 3, he says he, and other members, robbed a rival at gunpoint.

He got into the Chief Keef shooting ... saying in court, "I paid a person to shoot at a rival member of Nine Trey to scare him. The shooting took place in Manhattan. I did this to maintain or increase my own standing in Nine Trey." He admits knowing a fellow gang member was the trigger man.

Tekashi also admitted to selling a kilo of heroin in 2017 -- and offered an apology for all his crimes, saying ... "I apologize to the Court, to anyone who was hurt, to my family, friends and fans for what I have done and who I have let down."

Based on what we know, Tekashi has struck a plea deal which will increase the likelihood of a significantly reduced sentence in return for ongoing cooperation. Although the minimum sentence is 47 years, the way it typically works is the prosecution will ask for significantly less ... which is his incentive to keep singing like a canary.

The problem Tekashi faces ... by agreeing to cooperate for the next year -- while the prosecution dangles the carrot of a light sentence -- he's increasing the possibility someone will try to silence him.

BTW, he did indeed plead guilty to ALL 9 counts -- there was a discrepancy in the documents.

Tekashi69 appears to be striking a deal with the feds -- he's pleading guilty to 9 counts ... TMZ has learned.

Tekashi entered the plea on January 23 ... pleading guilty to the federal indictment. He copped to multiple counts of racketeering, conspiracy, firearms offenses and narcotics trafficking.

The rapper was initially indicted back in November ... and had been facing the possibility of life in prison. It's unclear what sentence he'll face now after entering the guilty pleas.

According to federal docs just unsealed this week, and obtained by TMZ, 6ix9ine was involved in dealing heroin, fentanyl, ecstasy, amphetamines and marijuana.

The feds say the conspiracy consisted of multiple acts of murder, robbery and extortion.

In docs, the feds refer to video TMZ first posted of Tekashi boldly offering, on camera, a $30,000 bounty for someone to shoot Chief Keef's cousin. According to the feds, he "aided and abetted the shooting at rivals of Nine Trey [Bloods gang] at a hotel in Times Square."

As you know, someone opened fire on Keef and his cousin back in June, in Times Square, just days after Tekashi's offer.

The unsealing of Tekashi's plea came just one day after 3 of his associates were also indicted. We broke the story ... law enforcement sources tell us Tekashi dropped a dime on the alleged trigger man in the Keef shooting.

6ix9ine's sentencing is scheduled for January 24, 2020.