Belizean politician and former Bad Boy Records signee Shyne is again opening up about his conviction and how it significantly curtailed what was supposed to be a very promising rap career.
Per Billboard, the 45-year-old will open up about his transition from rap to politics in an upcoming Hulu documentary titled The Honorable Shyne. A trailer for the documentary was released on Tuesday, and it shows a snippet where Shyne, born Moses Michael Levi Barrow, claims he was “set up” to be the “fall guy” when he was convicted in the 1999 New York nightclub shooting involving Sean “Diddy” Combs.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison on assault, reckless endangerment, and gun possession charges for the shooting incident at Club New York. Three people were injured in the aftermath of the shooting.
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Combs was dating Jennifer Lopez at the time, and they were both at the club during the shooting. Combs was, however, acquitted on gun and bribery charges in connection to the incident, XXL reported.
“I was absolutely set up to be the fall guy,” Shyne alleges in the documentary trailer. “I spent 10 years in prison, but I was able to move on. There’s a time to pivot, there’s a time to transition.”
The trailer also shows a throwback video of a press conference where Diddy addresses the shooting and denies being involved. “I had nothing to do with a shooting in this club,” Combs, who attended that press conference with Jennifer Lopez, said.
Shyne also said watching fellow artists shoot to superstardom while on the sidelines was one of the most difficult aspects of his conviction. “One of the most difficult parts of it was watching everybody succeed. Watching 50 [Cent],” the Bonnie & Shyne rapper said. “I spent 10 years in prison, but I was able to move on. There’s a time to pivot, there’s a time transition. And that’s how I got into politics.”
Shyne was deported to his home country in 2009 after serving almost nine years of his sentence despite appeals to allow him to remain in the U.S. He reportedly hadn’t naturalized as an American citizen and was a green card holder at the time.
The 45-year-old eventually decided to follow in his father’s footsteps by switching to politics. He now serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives and the leader of the Belize United Democratic Party.
Shyne touching on his conviction comes after he granted an interview where he spoke about Combs’ recent arrest and how the embattled music executive “pretty much” sent him to prison.
“When I was an 18-year-old kid, just wanting to do nothing other than make my mother proud and make Belize proud and, do what all of us want to do, be recognized for our talent and take over the world, I was defending him [Combs], and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me,” Shyne told Channel 5 News.
“He pretty much sent me to prison,” Shyne, who was born in Belize and moved to New York to join his mother at a young age, claimed. “That is the context by which you must always describe that relationship. Yes, I forgave. I moved on. But let us not pretend as if I was in Miami for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
“Let us not lose sight of what the cold, hard facts are. This is not someone who I vacationed with and who he and I enjoyed this great, intimate relationship of brotherhood,” Shyne added. “This is someone who destroyed my life, and who I forgave, and who I moved on, and for the better interest of Belize, because he was in a position at that time to give scholarships and to maybe invest.”
He continued: “I would not deny attempting to bring the investment to Belize and contribution to education to Belize.” Touching on Combs’ current legal woes, the 45-year-old said: “Do I take any joy with what he is going through? Absolutely not. I am different than other people — no one needs to fail for me to succeed.”
Combs, 54, was arrested by federal agents on September 16 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs, who entered a not-guilty plea, is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His trial date has been set for May 5, 2025. But the Bad Boy Records founder is additionally facing multiple sexual assault lawsuits.
The Honorable Shyne documentary will premiere on November 18.
READ ALSO: Shyne: A look at the New York rapper’s journey to becoming leader of Belize’s opposition party
