Rapper Shyne’s life after Diddy shooting from voice and name change to entering politics in Belize and supporting Trump

THE life of a rapper once under Sean “Diddy” Comb’s Bad Boy Records label has come under the spotlight in the wake of Diddy’s legal woes.

Jamal Barrow, aka Shyne, was a 19-year-old risingrapstar when, in 2001, he wassentencedto 10 years in jail after a nightclubshooting.

Shyne was arrested following the 1999 shooting inNew Yorkwhich also resulted in the arrests ofCombsand his then-girlfriendJennifer Lopez.

While Combs also went on trial for the shooting, it was Shyne who was jailed, after being charged with two counts of assault, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of an illegal weapon.

Now a new documentary is shedding light on Shyne’s rise and fall and what happened that night in 1999.

The Honorable Shyne, made in partnership between Disney and ESPN’s Andscape, premieres onHuluon November 18.

Shyne served eight years in prison before being deported back to his native Belize in 2009.

The documentary, directed by Marcus A. Clarke, who previously directed three episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, covers Shyne’s life in the decade and a half since his return to his home country.

Shyne now goes by the name Moses and has also converted to Judaism.

He has also become a politician in Belize, where he has expressed his support for US president-elect Donald Trump.

The documentary features interviews with Shyne’s parents, childhood friends, musicians, and music execs.

But it also delves into Combs’ behavior as a rising producer, and bizarre incidents involving the music mogul.

In 1994, Combs established Daddy’s House, a foundation whose stated aim was to help underprivileged youth.

Combs reportedly ran the foundation – and Bad Boy Records – like a family, according to a former business associate.

“Puff ran Bad Boy like he was the dad, and he was here to take care of everybody,” former Bad Boy executive Cheryl Fox says in the documentary.

“He wanted to always have the upper hand,” she later says.

RAGS TO RICHES

Shyne describes his upbringing in the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, as well as the alleged actions of record labels to give their talents “street cred.”

He claims record labels such as Bad Boy would encourage their young stars to get involved in beefs on the street.

“Hip hop was founded on a drug culture,” Shyne says. “They all dressed like drug dealers.”

Shyne recalls making his first million dollars with Bad Boy and buying a Mercedes Benz and a Range Rover by the time he was 21.

“One day he’s in Flatbush, the next day he’s at the Trump Hotel,” childhood friend Derrik Castillo Jr. says.

Shyne reportedly upset members of his labelmates Junior M.A.F.I.A. because of the similarities between his voice and that of the late Biggie Smalls.

This allegedly led to shots being fired at Shyne, and sparked a dispute with Combs.

‘I HATE HIM’

Combs’ former bodyguard Gene Deal also appears in the documentary, recounting the mogul’s alleged feelings toward Shyne.

At the time, Combs was charged with gun possession and bribing a witness – but was later acquitted.

“He made everybody believe that it was Shyne’s fault,” Deal says.

“Man, this dude looked me in my face and said, ‘Man, I hate this motherf**ker. Don’t let nobody take pictures of me and this motherf**ker. I hate him.”

Deal also describes a bizarre incident in New York Central Park.

He recalls how Combs met with a mogul who asked him to reach into “a dog cage.”

Combs pulled out a bird that he threw into the air, before it promptly fell back down to earth lifeless.

Deal says Combs then calmly walked away.

“Oh s***, there go Damien,” Deal recalls thinking at the time, a reference to The Omen horror movie from 1976.

‘THINKS HE’S GOD’

Shyne alleges he was set up to be the “fall guy” in the 1999 club shooting.

“I was absolutely set up to be the fall guy,” he says in the documentary.

He also accuses fellow labelmates of “partying and having a great time with Diddy while I was left to rot in prison.”

In 2012, not long after Shyne returned to Belize, he did an interview describing Combs as a “creep.”

“He pretends to be sorry,” Shyne says in the Hot 97 interview which is also used in the documentary.

“Maybe he even wants to be sorry. But he’s so much of a creep, he just can’t find that part of himself.

“Like when he say, ‘God is great,’ I think he’s talking about himself. He thinks he’s God. He has no accountability.”

However, that wasn’t the end of Shyne’s relationship with his former label boss.

In 2021, Combs helped Shyne secure a US visa so he could meet with politicians and help strengthen relations between Belize and the United States.

The following year, Shyne made a surprise appearance at the BET Awards in LA as part of a segment honoring Combs with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The documentary comes as Combs’ past is under the microscope in the face of a slew of legal battles.

Combs is accused of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes through the use of guns and threats.

Raids earlier this year on properties owned by Combs in Los Angeles and Miami revealed evidence of “freak offs” – drug-fueled orgies reportedly held by Combs.

More than 1,000 bottles of baby oil were uncovered at the scenes of the alleged sex parties – which reportedly lasted for days and left participants needing IV drips to recover.

Combs also faces sexual assault lawsuits from a number of women, including his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura.

In September this year, Combs was arrested at a New York hotel and is being held in a Brooklyn jail after two separate appeals for bail were rejected.

Combs has denied all of the charges against him, and entered a not guilty plea on September 17.

Shyne most recently took to his Instagram to congratulate president-elect Donald Trump “on his victory” in the election.

In another post directly afterward, he congratulated Vice President Kamala Harris for “her historic and formidable Presidential candidacy.”