In a social media post last Friday evening after it was revealed that he was in Florida, Buju Banton made the post that fans were waiting for ever since he was seen in an Instagram Live earlier over on DJ Khaled’s platform.
“Long was the road. Many were the travels. But the journey of a 1000 miles begin with a single step. Miami si mi ya,” the Gargamel said in a post that quickly accumulated more than 124,000 likes and thousands of responses..
“Time come,” said Leader of the Opposition People’s National Party Mark Golding; Anthony B dropped a line of heart emojis;” So grateful,” was the comment from Gramps Morgan; Pressure Buss Pipe summed it up in one word:”Destiny”; Bugle chanted “I wanna rule my destiny (Buju Voice). King in his kingly character”; Bounty Killer stated “Long live di king”; and Shyne, former Bad Boy rapper-turned-politician, declared “Give thanks and praises”.
Shyne dropping in on this thread is noteworthy. Shyne, whose real name is Moses Barrow, was once signed to P. Diddy’s label, and like Buju, has won a Grammy, and also like Buju, was once incarcerated in a United Sates jail serving a 10-year sentence. He, too, subsequently was given a visa to enter the US.
Currently, Shyne is the opposition leader of the House of Representatives in Belize, representing the United Democratic Party. His father, Dean Barrow, was prime minister of Belize from 2008 - 2020.
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On social media, Shyne is always seen well suited and booted and hardly mentions his former life except for an occasional picture with DJ Khaled or Walshy Fire, who he welcomed to Belize in March, or a post celebrating Hip Hop at 50, when he thanked Diddy and all who made his eponymous début album number two on the rap charts. He is best known for his 2000 singles Bad Boyz and Bonnie & Shyne and also wrote and performed on multiplatinum albums, including Usher’s Confessions, Lil Wayne’s Carter IV, Notorious B.I.G’s Born Again, and Puff Daddy’s Forever.
DEEP DIVE
Shyne’s story is well documented, and it is necessary to take a deep dive into it, especially in light of the current woes of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who, in addition to an investigation from Homeland Security and the federal government, is also facing four federal lawsuits.
Born in Belize, Shyne moved to Brooklyn as a child to live with his mother and began to rap as a teenager. According to his Wikipedia bio, Shyne was on the verge of releasing his début album, on the evening of December 27, 1999, when he went to a nightclub with his mentor/label boss Combs, and Combs’ then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez. An argument broke out in the club between Combs and another man, guns were drawn, shots fired, and three bystanders were injured.
Prosecutors charged that three men - a felon named Matthew ‘Scar’ Allen, Combs, and Shyne - drew guns and that Shyne shot three times in the packed nightclub. Shyne said he acted in self-defence. One injured witness said she saw both Combs and Shyne shoot guns. Shyne was accused of firing three shots that wounded three people. He maintained that he had fired into the air and did not believe that it was bullets from his gun that injured the bystanders. At his trial, an eyewitness and a ballistics expert testified that the three injuries may have been caused by a second gunman. The ballistics expert said that at least one injury may have been caused by a 40 calibre weapon; 40-calibre shells were found on the floor. Shyne had a 9-millimetre gun.
After a seven-week trial alongside Combs, Shyne was convicted. Combs had been arrested and charged with illegally having two 9-millimetre guns and with bribery but was acquitted. Combs’ bodyguard was also acquitted. Shyne was sentenced on June 1, 2001, to 10 years in prison, without eligibility for parole until 2009. He served almost nine years in New York prisons and was deported to Belize upon release.
In an April 18 article, Complex magazine noted that “Diddy’s mounting legal issues have put a renewed spotlight on the case and the long-standing claims that Shyne was Diddy’s scapegoat. These allegations were reiterated by Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones, a former Diddy employee who recently sued Diddy for sexual assault. Shortly after the complaint was filed, Natania Reuben – one of the victims of the 1999 club shooting – reiterated her belief that Diddy was the one who shot her”.
Shyne told Channel 5 in an interview, “It opens wounds when you hear, you know, the victim saying that, you know, it was Diddy that shot her.”
Conrad Tillard, then known as Hip-Hop Minister Conrad Muhammad, said after the trial: “Shyne’s mother and grandmother placed this young man in the care and custody of Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs, who they believed was a responsible executive of a company. Puffy has the same responsibility as a teacher, as a coach. This boy, Shyne, was out with his idol on that fateful night. When I put my child in your hands, I don’t expect him to end up dead or in jail.”
yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com
