Jamal “Shyne” Barrow, now a politician in Belize and a former Bad Boy Records rapper, has accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of allegedly ruining his life by making him the ‘fall guy’ for a 1999 New York nightclub shooting.
Shyne, who was 18 years old at the time, had moved to New York with dreams of building a music career and making his mother and Belize proud.However, his aspirations were shattered after the shooting incident.
“He pretty much sent me to prison,” Shyne said, referring to the 10-year sentence while Combs walked free.
According to Shyne, Combs—then known as Puff Daddy—fired a shot into the ceiling of a Midtown dance club while with then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, resulting in three people being injured. Shyne claims he was defending Combs, but Combs turned around and called witnesses to testify against him.
“Let us not lose sight of what the cold, hard facts are.” Shyne said, with a deep sense of betrayal.
Combs claimed it was a self-defence move, and Shyne was the only one to receive prison time. After his release in 2009, Shyne was deported back to Belize, where he now serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives.
When asked about Combs’ alleged involvement in ‘Freak Offs’—scandalous parties where women were reportedly forced into sexual acts while Combs recorded them—Shyne distanced himself from the drama, stating, “Oh my goodness!” with a laugh. “I have nothing to do with Sean Combs‘ personal life. Everything between us was strictly professional.”
These allegations resurfaced after Combs was recently charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, accused of using firearms to intimidate his victims. Currently, Combs is in custody after being denied bail.
Despite his own history with Combs, Shyne made it clear that he takes no pleasure in Combs’ current legal struggles, stating, “This is someone who destroyed my life, but do I take any joy or satisfaction? Absolutely not.”