Moses “Shyne” Barrow recalled how Sean “Diddy” Combs forever changed the trajectory of his life after a 1999 New York nightclub shooting.
Shyne, a former Bad Boy rapper and current politician in Belize, discussed his history with the fallen music mogul after Diddy’s arrest and subsequent criminal charges for racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking as the alleged ringleader of a criminal enterprise.
“When I was an 18-year-old kid, just wanting to do nothing other than make my mother proud and make Belize proud and be recognized for my talent and take over the world,” Barrow said during a press conference Wednesday.
“I was defending him, and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me. He pretty much sent me to prison.
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“I forgave. I moved on. But let us not pretend as if I was in Miami for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Shyne, who now serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives, was a rising star in the hip-hop world when he signed with Bad Boy Records in 1998. One year later, Shyne joined Diddy and his girlfriend at the time, Jennifer Lopez, at the now defunct Club New York in Times Square when gunfire broke out.
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During the scuffle, three people were injured, including a woman who was shot in the face. Lopez, Combs and his bodyguard, Anthony “Wolf” Jones, fled in his Lincoln and were later pulled over by the NYPD for running a red light.
A gun was found in the vehicle, and Lopez and Diddy were arrested. Lopez was let go, but Diddy, Jones and Shyne were each charged with multiple offenses. Diddy and Jones were both found not guilty at trial, while Shyne was convicted on five of eight counts and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Upon release, Shyne was deported to Belize.
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Since the incident, Shyne chose to forgive the “Victory” rapper and appeared on stage in London for a surprise performance with the Bad Boy Records founder in 2023.
“Let’s not lose sight of what the cold hard facts are,” Shyne insisted. “This is not someone who I vacationed with and someone who I enjoyed this great, intimate relationship of brotherhood.
“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 the position at that time to give scholarships and maybe to invest. I would not deny attempting to bring the investment to Belize and contribution to education in Belize.
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“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.”
Diddy, 54, was charged Tuesday with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.
He appeared in Manhattan federal court Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty. Not only was Combs denied a proposed $50 million bail, he was sent to jail immediately after the hearing.
