Tekashi 6ix9ine Racked Up Nearly $100k Tab for Security in L.A.

It pays to protect Tekashi69 -- especially these days -- 'cause he spared NO expense when it came to hiring muscle to cover his ass in La La Land ... TMZ has learned.

Tekashi hired a small army from 2 different security companies during his recent 10-day stay in L.A. -- we saw the mountainous men shadowing him everywhere. We're told the armed guards provided round-the-clock protection and 3 bulletproof SUVs ... all for the low, low price of $97,165.

Sounds like a ton of cash, until you add the context of what went down during that trip ... starting with nearly coming to blows with Slim 400 in an intense showdown.

6ix9ine's security had to hold him back, which almost certainly saved him from an immediate probation violation and prison time.

Then, a few days later the Bev Hills shooting went down. We're told there were only 2 shifts of security initially scheduled for the music video set, but after the gunmen opened fire ... they called in a third emergency shift. As a result, Tekashi racked up 25 hours of protection for that single event!

The kicker? The security companies ain't happy ... and not due to the bullets. We're told Tekashi hasn't paid his tab, but to be fair he's had bigger things on his mind.