The Real Report - Shyne on P.Diddy fallout, serving time in prison, & life after the Bad Boy era

14:31Shyne:Yeah. And you gotta understand, I always use the Kobe example, but I think I use some good rap examples like Fab is one of the nicest ever, period. He's in the Hall of Fame, right? Forget about commercial, forget about pop, straight hip hop, Fabulous will go down as one of the nicest ever, right? When you go down to 50, 50's one of the greatest icons of hip hop, of music, of entertainment, period. What he's been able to accomplish on the business and the run, film, hard rock cafe. I mean, you know, it's just so much. And he's still going. He's still popping up in Vegas, you know, spitting. That's real hip hop, right?

15:24Shyne:So what I'm saying is many of the greatest started with comparisons, but I think the comparisons inspire us to work hard to separate ourselves and to establish our identity. And I believe you look at Kobe. When Kobe first came into the league, Kobe was coming off the bench, Shaq was a superstar, and everybody said Kobe wanted to be Mike. But now when I think of Kobe, I think of Kobe. And Mike is my GOAT, but it's debatable whether Kobe is the GOAT.

16:02Murda:Yeah, I hear you. I hear you. You know, but listen, respect DeBron, my guy.

16:09Shyne:I got a brother, he's from Ohio, from Columbus, Ohio. his name is Jeffrey Shottenstein. Big respect to the American Eagle people they own American Eagle. And they real close with Braun. And Braun got love for Shon too. So most respectfully I'm MJ. But you know, respect to Braun. Definitely respect all of them. Three goats.

16:32Murda:So what was the thought process? Cause that was like a different kind of record to come up with the Baron Levy. You know what I mean? The beat, who made the beat? Like what made you?

16:41Shyne:Again, I'm always honorable, always the utmost integrity, and I give the flowers where the flowers belong. I picked every beat of the Shine album, except that beat. And it was Puff that gave me that beat. That was actually the first song that I did that was a hit record. the other songs I was finding myself. I was, you know, there had some controversy the other day when I was on It Is What It Is. And I was really telling the story not to degrade anyone, not to talk about my hit list. I wasn't stunting a popping style. I was telling a story of a young man who had nothing and got a million dollars and went nuts.

17:38And by me going crazy,

17:42Shyne:as far as just out here buying Cristal, going to the Gucci store, crashing the 600 and just living a movie, I wasn't paying attention to my craft. And so when I was going in the studio, the results were consistent with someone that wasn't focused, with someone that wasn't working hard, or someone that was not exactly, except what I came here for. So by the time, so the whole 99, I spent being Al Pogor, Before You Snitch, Rich Porter, AZ, Frank Matthews, you know. Living the life. Living the life, right? Chasing Brandon. Yeah, just being a straight ghetto movie superstar. All right, Melissa, right?

18:33Shyne:Yeah. So yeah, like it was so bad, as I mentioned, and I was even with the bosses, man, which those are things you don't do. I rap about it on the life. You don't do that. How do you come to the label and you just taking everybody down? That was suicide. And that's the only reason I told that story. So the music reflected the lack of effort, the lack of focus. But then when I got to 99, after I had that interaction where, you know, somebody told me some things I didn't want to hear and it really shocked me and it really devastated me. And I was like, you know what? I'm going to show you. I went to Puff, like January.

19:21It's like, listen, man, you know, please, I need the Holy Grail.

19:27Shyne:I need you to give me the blueprint. I need the instruction manual. Let's do what we came for. And so I shadowed him the entire 99 until the Club New York incident happened. Day in, day out, just as a protege, just learning everything. And that's how we got the Bad Boy record done, because we were in the Hamptons working on his album forever. and you know I did reverse wrote his I think I wrote his record on reverse

20:02Murda:was it 1920 at the swing?

20:06Shyne:I'm near like 20 probably 20 you and the Hamptons were puffed yeah oh I mean nah it was it was a movie but that's why I stuck Def Jam up so crazy because it was a movie like you you on a private plane going back from Soul Train to to the to the Rammys and then back to California, you in the car with J-Lo, you at dinner with Sally, Sally or Jessie, whatever her name is. Like it's, you know, you playing basketball with Chris Tucker. Yeah, dream come true. Yeah. So yeah, you know, Puff again, I never saw any of the things that he's accused of. and you know it's none of my business I really don't care other than some of the things that throughout the situation were brought up that he did to me as far as calling people to testify against me and uh really working with the DA to make sure that I went to jail and he didn't go to jail whereas if all of us are here and heaven forbid anything should ever go wrong uh we would just be defending ourselves.

21:19Shyne:And we should go to trial and say, listen, Yayo was defending himself. Murda was defending himself. Sean was defending himself. And that's what I maintain to this day. If Puff fired the gun, if Puff was the person that shot that woman, he was defending himself and he did not do that intentionally to this day. As much as, you know, I don't appreciate what he did to me. That is my position to this day. So yeah, but the point I was making is he gave me that record. He was the greatest at the time. Nobody did it like Russell did it. He took what Russell did and put it on steroids. Of course. As far as getting into pop culture and just merging pop culture with rap culture and still being hip hop.

22:10Murda:I mean, at that time, Bad Boy ran the game. You had Total over there. You had Black Rock. Everybody.

22:15Shyne:And he was, rest in peace to Robbie O, B.I., The Locks, Mace, and he was producing everybody. He was producing Missy, Mary, SWV. He didn't take nothing away from Puff.

22:28Murda:Yes, right?

22:29Shyne:And he was keeping it hip hop. So he was pop, but he was also ghetto. And he got that from a person that doesn't get enough credit, Andre Harrell. Remember Andre Harrell was on that Uptown Rest in peace, hip hop, corporate. Like he didn't make it as a rapper, but he had the Rolex with the suit and that was his thing. So, yeah, but he gave me that song in the Hamptons. We were working on the Forever album. Everybody was out there. Mafia was out there. Everybody was out there. Respect to my God sees. And he gave me the song. He gave me the beat. He was like, listen. so that beat might have been for forever but being a genius that he was he was like let me give this to Sean if Sean could

23:22Murda:let me see if he fucked with it if he could body

23:26Shyne:this that's what he told me he said listen you could body this go on out of here and then respectfully he said who's the guy that go So, oh, I'm like, yeah, it's Barrington Levy. Rob Markman - Dangerous.

23:47Murda:Rob Markman - Another Dangerous. And that is a Caribbean icon.

23:52Shyne:Like Barrington been singing before I was born. He was my mother's favorite and he was my favorite. So yeah, that was all puff. And I went and I did what I had to do and everybody went crazy. And respectfully - Rob Markman - And you New York was loving it because

24:08Murda:the whole Jamaican culture. But before New York got it, Bad Boy was going crazy. Rob Markman - Oh, of course.

24:14Shyne:Because I was shaky at Bad Boy. When I came in, it was like I was just offending everybody. I was offending the boss. I was offending the superstar player, Mace, even though me and Mace, we got really close after the fact, but I was just on one. And so when people are upset with you, you can't do anything right. So everything sound trash.

24:36Murda:Rob Markman - You think it's just that Brooklyn bullshit you was just doing that? I was definitely on that Brooklyn. I can see that. That's Brooklyn. Of course, that's how you have the attitude.

24:43Shyne:Yeah, I stomped down the door. But see - I know they was like, oh, here come this nigga.

24:49Murda:Mace fly Harlem nigga, come all you want to. Come all you want to. And then here come this Brooklyn nigga. You know what I'm saying?

24:56Shyne:But yeah, everybody was excited, man. But the second verse, if you listen to the second verse closely, I wrote the second verse for Puff, Nigg's dragging on the floor. Banging on you, second of Christ, scientists examining for flaws. Pour the crystal on the way to trial Rico law, got my head hurt, squirt until they pull the curtain.

25:21Murda:I wrote that for him.

25:23Shyne:That was before the case too, right? Before the case, August 1999. So he never got a chance to do his verse. and when we caught the case, he was like, under the bus you go, I want nothing to do with you.

25:38Murda:Yeah, cause that was, yo listen, yo listen, once you got a shootin' and you got Huff Daddy and J-Lo there, and what was that club, I forgot the club. Club New York. Club New York was poppin'. That shit was like on the front of the daily news. When did you find out during that case though, like as far as, oh shit, damn, Huff switched us out.

25:57Shyne:Oh, it was from the start. It was from the start because as I said, But when I say under the bus you go, literally, we all got knocked. They bail out like hours. And I'm sitting in the tombs. And I'm calling Daddy's house. I'm calling Puff's house. And nobody's taking my call. No one is answering me. I sat in the tombs for a week.

26:26Murda:Without speaking to nobody? Right.

26:28Shyne:But I was talking to Matt Middleton and Manny bailed me out. My God, Manny. That's why he's my brother to this day. Funny story. When I - What was your bail?

26:39Murda:Like a million, half a million at that time?

26:40Shyne:I don't even remember. Because it was a crazy shoe. Whatever it was, Puff could afford to pay for it. Oh yeah, definitely. But funny story. And then when I say Manny's my God to this day, when I was in the P now, Now, Dr. Dre wanted me to do a record for a young kid by the name of The Game. This is before anybody even heard of The Game. They wanted me, again, they said that Game, and I spoke to Game the other day, so I saw it live. So Dre sent me the record, not sent it to me, but reached out and said, listen, we had a record, but you can only do our record. You can't do a record with anybody else for this kid, The Game.

27:22and Manny and Ron Fair said we got a record

27:26Shyne:for this young lady by the name of Keisha Cole. And I had to choose and I chose Manny cause he bailed me out. And that's a difficult choice cause Dr. Dre has always been Dr. Dre and Dr. Dre will always be Dr. Dre. But I had to chose -

27:44Murda:Shelter Dre, but you had to choose Manny. I had to choose my guy to bail me out.

27:48Shyne:And he's my brother to this day. Nah, shout to Manny, that's crazy. Cause I know Manny's looking like you thinking P Diddy,

27:53Murda:you calling P Diddy, you trying to get bailed out. This nigga were 20, 30, 40 games.

27:59Shyne:Respectfully, Manny was always getting money. Of course, that's a fact. Yeah, so he put one of the houses up and he made sure I was good.

28:05Murda:When you got out, did you finally -

28:07Shyne:Oh, so yeah, when I got out, I already knew I was under the bus. The fact that Manny had to bail me out, I was cooked. And the lawyer was communicating to me because I was staying in one of Puff's apartments and you know said listen moved all your stuff out I had to send my uncle to get my

28:25Murda:you gotta think you gotta think about this Murk you gotta go back to the club we ain't the most

28:30Shyne:yeah but I was defending him no no no I know you was defending him I saw somebody mention that oh the kids from Brooklyn were trying to get at me no Nino Scar, the kids that were arguing with him were my guys. I saw them maybe an hour before in the club and everybody's like, yeah, Sean, we so proud of you. We can't wait until you really get there. We know you got us and we got you.

29:00Murda:And they all know me and me and all that shit too. That's a fact.

29:03Shyne:Yeah, so that's ridiculous, but I don't know. What happened is we're walking out, they get to arguing, money get to flying, and people start saying they gonna kill me. they gonna kill Puff because Scar said to me, Poe, you gonna go with him over us? Like basically they expected that I was supposed to like kinda just disappear. When the argument started, I was supposed to be like, you know what?

29:30Murda:Puff was like, get out of my way nigga. I got J-Lo with me nigga. And then them niggas like, what? I mean, it's a certain way, you know. Cause guys in the street are getting money too.

29:39Shyne:Yeah, sometimes that's like. They getting millions and millions a week, millions a day.

29:42Murda:I don't until this day I carry myself like that. I could be in the spot and it could be niggas, I don't know where they from, but these niggas be to get money niggas from the town. And I'm coming, move out the way nigga. Like nigga, niggas ain't trying to hear that. And it escalate to a shootout. I know once he heard somebody got hit in the face, an innocent bystander, oh yeah, leave Sean up in there, call the lawyer, separate the case. You know how that shit go, bro. So you ain't even speak to him after, when you got bailed out? Say he was in the tunes for a week.

30:09Shyne:I did not speak to him. Remember, we're on trial together. So even when we go to court for pre-trial, for everything before we even get to jury selection, you still got to go to court to set the trial date and to do all these things, no conversation. And if it wasn't for Wolf, I would have never got to release my album. Rest in peace, Wolf. Rest in peace to Anthony Wolf Jones, my big brother. He was the one, so it was like, this is, I get bailed out January. It wasn't until February, like the end of February, that he said to Puff, you are gonna put his album out. I don't care what, you're gonna have a problem with me.

31:00I'm sorry, Shine album coming out.

31:03Shyne:and he made sure that I got that opportunity. And so they finally called me to Bad Boy Records that was in the BMG building on Broadway and 45th, I believe. And so I went there and the first record they played for me that I picked was The Life. That was from the Ashe Merritt hitman.

31:30Shyne:And then if you listen to that album, and that song i'm kind of rapping about puff when i was like it was all right till i got caught charged with a 848 behind marion steel gates they started snitching acting bizarre driving my cars hitting my bras breaking the laws same people i got money took care was on some funny thing if i was different i snitch what would you do if you got millions with people and they had no love for you, couldn't pay for your lawyer, figured why sit in the cell or rot. I be out in 10, throw the boys in the pot, but I couldn't do it. And you wouldn't understand if you ain't been through it.

32:09Shyne:There's rules to this. I couldn't break them. Death before dishonor till I meet Satan. I know he waiting. You know what I mean? That's what y 'all gonna get May 2nd. Yeah, yeah, May 2nd. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sean got one of the realest stories in the culture.

32:24Murda:So this is what I got to know, because there's a difference between jail and prison. You know, jail is fucking Rikers Island. Prison is Attica. You know what I'm saying? What jails you went to and what was your mental state coming off of having the biggest records in the world? You down with Puff. He didn't pay your bail. Now you blew trial or did you cop out to that 10? You blew trial.

32:44Shyne:I blew trial. I took it to trial. I didn't cooperate. The district attorney at the time. And I just want to put in perspective everything that I say. I'm saying from a historical perspective, as far as just sharing the information, I don't glorify anything that I may have done as a youth. And even that night I was defending myself. And the victim said that puff shot her, not me. So I always maintained that I was not responsible for injuring any of those people and that I was defending myself. So I just, you know, I went to my primary school today, PS 92 in Brooklyn. It's the first school I went to as an immigrant fresh off the coconut boat.

33:27Shyne:And I gave a speech. And, you know, I just want to make sure it's always clear that we're just sharing with the youth so that the youth can have the benefit of our stories that they don't make the mistakes or find themselves in the situations that we found ourselves in because we're here to make sure that they don't have to go through what they went through. But, yeah, it was the most devastating period of my life. I don't think anything was worse other than maybe being poor growing up in Brooklyn, but I think even being incarcerated was worse because you don't have your freedom. And at least poverty is terrible, but I have the freedom to dream.

34:07Shyne:I have the freedom to pursue that and get out of poverty. I did the whole 10. There was not a day off. I didn't get a furlough. what's the first prison you went to uh the first correctional facility was clinton denomora mumi abu jamal uh tupac shakur um old dirty bastard uh that's where they sent all of the son of sam that's where they sent all of the high profile people and so i was an admin seg my entire bid so they have like an admin seg um block for all of the the mafia bosses the guys that told on the mafia bosses um yeah because you have profile at this yeah so j-lo but then when i got to the end of my incarceration i asked to go to general population to go to a medium and they let me go to medium, but like a medium where you can only get in the medium if you're honor and you know, you conducting yourself in a way that you want to go home.

35:21But even then, it's always a risk.

35:26Shyne:It's always a toss up, but I don't want to start that. Oh, I did my bed in general pop. No, I was in admin set. I was isolated. And as I said, with the mob bosses, with some of the informants, you know, people that were high profile that had heinous crimes. Yeah, it was terrible. It was terrible.

35:50Murda:I mean, to go what you go through and you got to do 10 and you're like on top of the world. You're the biggest label. Yeah. To do 10, like I did a little bit. It was devastating.

35:58Shyne:But you know, the first night when I was in the tombs, I get on, I kneel down, I pray. I've been praying since I got shot when I was 15 or 16. So prayer for me is a real thing. Now, I don't pray because I'm holy. I don't pray because I am a pontiff or some, you know, religious figure. I pray to survive Brooklyn because Brooklyn was a war ground. where I grew up, Flatbush Church Avenue, which is why performing at King's Theater is so surreal. So King's Theater was not even operable back then. King's Theater was abandoned. But anyway, I started praying from young just to survive Brooklyn. So my first night in the tombs, I knelt down and I prayed and I said to God, you know, yeah, I think tears rolling down my eyes.

36:56Shyne:It was a lot. I said, yeah, all right, we here. But check this out. I was loyal to a scumbag. I'm going to be loyal to you. Because before I went away, thanks to Wolf and thanks to God, I prayed, just let me get my album out. Let me do my numbers and let me become Shine. Because once I do that, then I would have accomplished my dreams and I could take care of Mama Love. She'll be all right. And no matter what, my name will live forever because I would have been able to put out a classic album and etch my name in the pantheons of hip hop. And I knew I would live forever because I kept my integrity and I didn't make up a lie or I didn't try to get my friends in trouble to get myself out of trouble.

37:51And as a New York kid, I knew that I would be a legend no matter what.

37:56Shyne:Because you did the - Because you did the - Because of course. Right?

37:58Murda:Of course, I know rap. Right? Yeah, yeah. Right? You know sucking shit.

38:02Shyne:So, so, so -

38:03Murda:Even though some sucking shit was done to you.

38:05Shyne:Growing up in New York, that meant everything. That meant everything. Like, you couldn't live with yourself if you were a rodent. And a rodent is not, I'm not, again, I'm not trying to glorify these things. It's just to this day. You're a rodent if you get elected to the House of Representatives and you're not honorable and you break your oath of office and turn on your people, you're a rat.

38:28Murda:Yes. So that's what I mean. You're doing street shit and you turn on your people, you're a robot.

38:34Shyne:You got to have integrity. But I prayed to God and I said, you know what? I'm going to be loyal. You gave me everything that I asked you for. I'm an immigrant kid from Belize who was able to have my wildest dreams come true. Yep. And I thank you for that. I said that. while facing, I was facing 25 years because I blew trial.

38:59Murda:Thanks.

39:01Shyne:And I said, you know, I'm not gonna turn on you. All I ask is just let me endure this. If I never sell another record, if I have to do the whole 10, just allow me to endure this. Let me not die in here because that's what people don't understand.

39:21Murda:Yeah. you go to jail, you might die in jail.

39:26Shyne:Even in admin seg. The conditions ain't great. But even in admin seg, someone may send a hit. Someone that's doing life, you know, might wake up one day and not take his meds and want to off you. Or you might have to take someone out. and then definitely when I got to the medium it was serious because you had guys in there doing life that may have given their life back or guys in there that did 30 or had a 25 to life and did the 25 and now they looking to go home. Any number can play at any time and so I prayed to God to just please allow me to endure and not lose my mind and that's how I left it I said, if I never sell another record, if I'm never famous again, it's okay.

40:23Shyne:I'll be loyal to you. And I kept praying. That's why I always tell people, you got to be present every day. I was present every day of my bed. I have been present every day of my life up to this day. No matter what. And not just with prayer, but because you pray and then you got to listen. Because God talks to us. so you can't pray and then do what you want to do because then God going to pull back and be like, all right, champ, figure it out.

40:54Murda:Right? You got it? Go ahead. Did Puff look out for you when you came home? No. I saw y 'all hanging out a little bit. I think I said hanging out.

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43:06Shyne:Yeah, you know what happened? The first time I reconciled with Puff, I was in Jerusalem. So if you remember, your man 50 used to get me real good with those pictures when I had the side curls and I had the religious guard. But you know, we was going at it, right? Yeah, I remember you when 50 was going, I just came home when you were 50. Yeah, it was all, so it was all, it was all, you know. Sean had some disrespect. It was all, yeah, I was wild disrespectful. He was wild. Yeah, I was wild disrespectful.

43:35Murda:You know 50.

43:35Shyne:Yeah, and with 50s, the kids were disrespectful. So I think we went at it while I was away. And then when I came out, I think that's why I lost my vocal cords. Because I'm going to answer your question right now. But when I came out, I was on Tupac. But then I just did 10 years, you know, spiritual, you know, enduring, praying, you know. It's like, and then I came out on my Tupac thing from Belize. I didn't even get a chance to come to the States because I got deported because I didn't want to do a thing.

44:11Murda:Yeah, how did you feel? That was devastating. When you know it's your last day, because I've seen this being locked up for a little skid bit. Not no 10 years. Little baby bit. Two years at most, right? I've seen people be on their last day and I'm like, where they going? Oh, I ain't that's waiting for them. How did that feel? 10 years and now you got to leave the country and get deported.

44:32Shyne:Well, listen, my lawyers wanted me to fight for my freedom and to get a bail pending my immigration case, which I believe I could have gotten, but I would have had to stay a few more weeks. I couldn't do it. So when you asked me how I felt, I didn't want to do another day in captivity. So I told him, listen, send me to Belize. I prefer to be free and I'll make my way back. I'll make my way back. I didn't think it would take 13 years to make my way back. But -

45:05Murda:That little pup gave you a bag when you came home. No, no.

45:10Shyne:So when you saw me, so to answer your question, when you saw me, I was in Jerusalem. So I was doing my spiritual journey. I was Orthodox Jew throughout my entire incarceration, rapping tefillin, keeping Shabbat. I didn't even use the phone, do anything on the Sabbath. I ate kosher. I was wearing sit sits. I was doing everything because being a Jew has no race. So when people say, oh, how as a black person, you didn't become Muslim is because Muslims believe in the five books of Moses too. So religion is not a race. Anybody could be a Jew. You just have to practice and, you know, depending on what type of Jew you wanna be.

46:03Shyne:It's like Catholicism or Christianity, there's Orthodox Christians, there's, anyway. When you saw me with Puff, I was in Jerusalem. I was going through my spiritual journey and I just felt that forgiveness and moving on was something I did for myself. Wasn't doing that for him. And I was taking a hiatus from the industry. And when I initially came out in 2009, I was going hard on everybody, on him, on 50, on Trake, on Ross. I was just arguing with everybody. I was, man, it was terrible. But then I was on - Is that Brooklyn Bullshit? It was terrible. Heard to love that shit, man. Well, listen, so it was 2012, I believe, or 2000 and yeah 2012 when i reached out to him i just called i just made a cold call he actually had the same number and and he answered i was like listen you know uh let's sit down and then when i i went to see him in paris that's when you see me with the with the jew curls and the long robe and in the high socks, I was on it.

47:15Shyne:Yeah, so I went to the La Maurice, and we met at the La Maurice. And the interesting thing with Puff, so the La Maurice is like, yeah, I'm sorry, man, it was the lawyers. The lawyers made me do it, but don't worry, we gonna make everything right. And I'm like, yeah, my brother, yeah. So your question was,

47:39Murda:yo, you got a couple of minutes. Hold on, hold on. that's my question make everything right that's definitely what's that two three no hold on hold

47:47Shyne:so hold on so um you know cassie talks about in her in her lawsuit about violence and things happening and then you know he would spend a million half a million to you know cover everything up and while I was there everybody was getting a Rolex that weekend. He was taking everybody for Rolex and he took Cassie to get, you know, he blew like a half a million dollars on Cassie. So I saw that. So I'm like, okay, my Rolex is coming in the, right? Not you, buddy. Yeah, for some reason. Listen, when they went to get the Rolexes, I think I was late.

48:33Murda:I was late. You probably could have got one, you saying?

48:36Shyne:No, no, no. I was told that my Rolex was going to be sent to me in Belize. Oh, shit. Okay, got you. My Rolex was going to be sent to me in Belize. And man, when I got to Belize - No Roley, just for Cassie.

48:48Murda:No Roley. Just for Cassie.

48:49Shyne:Hold on, because I thought I was going to get the Roley, get the million. I thought I was going to get my payment. if Cassie getting a half, for my 10, I was saying a light one cash, and then maybe one every year for the rest of my life.

49:06Murda:You know it was girls before the bros.

49:07Shyne:No, not for the bro that, not for the bro that, not for the bro. I mean, that's what he's saying. She just spent the half and got a rollie. Not for the bro, not for the bro. That's how these bro, that's how people do it. Not for the bro, but not for the bro that put you in a position to have your freedom so that you could spend a half a million on the girls. And so what I'm saying is even if it's a mill and listen, all right, you know what? I'll put you on a payroll for bad boy forever for the rest of your life. You get a hundred grand.

49:33Murda:But when you look at that, you got to know from the beginning that that nigga wasn't what he was going to do. You got J-Lo, you and him on the front page of the Daily News every fucking day. Sean is a young nigga from Brooklyn. Shooter, nigga. Yo, let that nigga eat the case. You know that was bad.

49:49Shyne:Yeah, but we got past that. We got past that. We got past that. I saved his life. he acknowledges that you know I'm sorry I messed up I shouldn't have did it the way that I did it he's free for all of the years to put himself in a position for Serac for Sean John for all the things that he did I lost

50:09Murda:10 years in what could have been

50:11Shyne:even if I wasn't a billionaire I could have made 100

50:13Murda:he could have gave you a million for every year and that would have been light work but that's just how industry dudes work so what I'm saying is fine

50:22Shyne:when I saw that it wasn't going that way, you know, I went on my Brooklyn thing again, even in my religious phase. I was like, I was, you know, I went nuts and I was like, man, whatever. But then I got to a point, I did get to a point, I'll tell you this, I went nuts on them. And then I got to a point like around 2014, 2015, I had gone back to Belize and that's when I got into politics. I got out of the religious, I'm still, like I still light a candle on Shabbat. I still wrap my tefillin every day. I still fast on Yom Kippur. I still, you know, I'm Moses. Of course. I'm gonna always be Moses and I always apply the sciences of Moses, but I'm just, I'm about bringing people together.

51:13Shyne:We talked about that in the green room. I'm the elder statesman and I'm Moses. I'm here to bring everybody together. either Moses married an Ethiopian, Moses' father was one of the biggest polytheists, and he brought everybody together. So, you know, my thing when I got to Belize, and I was focused on serving the people of Belize, I had gotten out of religion and I was focused on Belize. Belize, Belize, because Belize has so much potential, but not the leaders that could take them to that potential. and I knew that was my calling. And so while I was going through that, I had the time in Jerusalem, which was great.

51:55Shyne:I would never change that for anything because Jerusalem is the center of the universe for Jews, Muslims, Christians, Catholics, everybody goes to Jerusalem. And when I got to a point of serving the people of Belize before I got elected in 2020, So I served six years in the community before I got elected. But I just got to a point where I was like, you know what? I need to let that go. No money, nothing. Just let that go. Just let that go. Just focus on the people who believes and just let that go. Right? It can't help. It can only hurt. Let all of that go. don't argue with anybody don't have anything with anybody focus on the people of Belize and I was better off for it but I let it go, let it go I didn't let it go like maybe I'll get the million now and so when you saw me with him at the BET Awards he begged me to do that he begged me to do that and I was thinking about Belize when I did that.

53:14Shyne:If you remember the performance, the biggest flag of Belize that you ever are gonna see dropped on the stage and he's like Belize, Belize. And before the Rico, he was Puff Daddy, one of the most famous people on planet Earth. And so using that stage to promote Belize was a no brainer. But it wasn't like, oh, it was you and your man. I wasn't at Thanksgiving. I wasn't at the Christmas party. You know, he didn't come to Belize. We wasn't rolling like that. But when I got elected to the House of Representatives and I got my diplomatic visa, that's another thing. He didn't get me a visa. I got a diplomatic visa.

54:00But in all respect to him, when I was planning my diplomatic tour as the opposition leader of the House of Representatives in Belize, I reached out to him and said, listen, any politicians, anybody that you know, let me know so I could put them on my itinerary because I want to meet with all these people for the sake of beliefs.

54:24Shyne:So in all fairness to him and his guy, Corey Jacobs, they put me with a great conglomerate of musicians like Dallas Austin and Sean Garrett, along with my sister to this day, Erica. Erica, I don't want to say her name wrong, Erica Thomas, I believe, she was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. And so they have this thing where it's members of Catherine Brewin and Dallas Austin. And I think even like Shaka Zulu and I think even maybe Jermaine and Michael B. Cox were part of it at one point, if not still, along with, you know, all these members of the Georgia House and Senate. Right.

55:19Shyne:So that was great for me to meet with them on behalf of Belize and put that together. So he did put me with them. But you can't get a diplomatic visa unless you're a member of the House of Representatives and the State Department and Homeland Security don't play. I have friends in governments throughout the Caribbean that are ministers that don't get a diplomatic visa. So I had a relationship with the State Department and Homeland Security for years because I was the government's ambassador. but my pops who you know him and I have always had a shaky relationship to this day I don't really want to get into that now though I'm gonna ease him but he when he was prime minister he refused to like appoint me to the UN so that I could get the diplomatic passport and visa and as I said in fairness to him the Americans let who they want to let come to their country So if they felt, you know what, nah, we're not going to give you the visa, they weren't.

56:24Shyne:So nobody could get you a diplomatic visa. And now I am here on an extraordinary ability visa, 01, because I've won Grammys, sold millions of records. And the time of my deportation is 16 years ago. So my ban, I think was like 10 years. So I qualify on all grounds. And then I've had a stellar record as a diplomat meeting with Republicans, with Democrats. To this day, I have friendships with Republicans. The ambassador that just got appointed by President Trump, he's from South Carolina. And I met him through a Democratic state member of the House. because when I was honored in the South Carolina Capitol, I made sure to ask my Democratic friends to let me meet the Republicans because governments change.

57:27Shyne:Minorities and majorities change. And I wanted to be that no matter who is the president, no matter who is the House majority leader, I have a relationship for the sake of the Belizean people. And that worked because even though President Biden, I got my diplomatic visa under President Biden, I got my old one under President Trump. Right. And if President Trump asked me to come to Mar-a-Lago tomorrow, I'll go on behalf of the Belizean people, just as if President Biden would have invited me to the White House of Kamala.

58:05Murda:They'd be mad at you. Oh, no, no, no.

58:07Shyne:I support, Hakeem Jeffries is my guy. He war with Trump all the time. But Hakeem Jeffries just gave me a proclamation for my 25th anniversary of The Shine album. Borough President Reynoso is my brother. He just gave me the key to Brooklyn on Saturday and declared April 25th. Wow, key to Brooklyn, bro. Yeah. Declared Brooklyn. I mean, you know, not to cut you off, man, but it's like you went through being a megastar

58:43Murda:on one of the biggest labels ever, doing 10 years in prison, right? Didn't get deported, didn't turn into politicians, and shout out to Belize, I heard it's a beautiful country. My family just went there, I heard they got beautiful beaches, beautiful land, I heard it's beautiful. And now you're like in the government, you know, doing state stuff. Like, what would you tell the kids? Because, you know, it's still crazy stuff.

59:09Shyne:Well, I lost my seat in the House of Representatives, which is why I returned to the stage. I lost my seat March 12, 2025, last year. Stole the seat from me. My own people, the people in my own political party, stole the seat from me. But, again, never to sit there and cry and be sad, I came up with a plan. I said, it's my 25th anniversary. I got a few years until the next elections. You know what? I'm going to celebrate my 25th anniversary a shine. And I'm going to return to the stage. And remember, I put out the Hulu documentary. Again, respect to 50 and Alex who did their reckoning documentary.

59:47I got the honorable documentary on Hulu that I put out 2024.

59:52Shyne:And when I put out that documentary, I had told Disney that I was going to put out an album, the honorable album. but I couldn't do it because I was so focused on policy and being the leader of the opposition. The leader of the opposition in Belize is the prime minister in waiting. So you're an election away from being the prime minister of a country. And I took that very serious on behalf of hip hop, on behalf of myself, but on behalf of hip hop that I couldn't disappoint hip hop, that we get an opportunity to do something that is beyond the culture. and we make the culture look bad because we're not prepared, because we're not proficient.

1:00:31Shyne:So I said, you know what? I'm going to focus and be the best political leader that I could be, and there'll come a time for the music again, if that's what God wants. And so when the opportunity came, I said, ah, you know what? I got time. I got time today. And that's how it happened because, you know, getting to Dre, I got to fly there. I got to wait a few days until he's available. I gotta come back. You know, the relationship that I developed with Dre is like as a brother, like as, he's an idol, he's an icon, but it went from, the first meeting was leader to leader, and then I developed a relationship with him.

1:01:10Shyne:And I did that with every producer that's on the album. I went to see Jermaine, I went to see Swiss, I went to see Timbaland, I went to see RZA, right? I didn't get to Boy Wonder because he's in Canada, but I went to see Hip Boy. Right? Definitely. But so for the kids that are listening, you are whatever you work hard to be. The teacher, the principal said today to the kids at PS92, the sky's the limit. I told them, no, the sky's just step one. There is no limit. After you reach the sky, then you go to another planet. Then you go to another planet. Then you just go throughout the universe. Then you just, there's no end to the universe.

1:02:02Shyne:Scientifically, there's no end to the universe. There's no end to what a young person could do out there. But as you see my story, it will be difficult. It will be painful. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to cap and have you think that, oh, just get up, brush your teeth, say your prayer, listen to your mom and your teacher, and life is going to be perfect. No. it's gonna hit you hard it's gonna be challenges but you can face those challenges you can overcome those challenges and give yourself time

1:02:33Murda:you got these young ones out here like the young boys shooting 15, 15 year olds dying, I feel like sometimes it'd be easy just for rappers and people like in our position to go stay out of trouble we gotta really yeah but I live that but I live that

1:02:48Shyne:and I'm living that now by even being here they could tell you I'm here by myself. Back in the days, we would've came here, no, you would've came here, we would've thought, oh, I don't even think I would've came here. No, I'm telling you, we wouldn't have even made up. We wouldn't have even made up. Everybody would've had the smokers and it'd be like, yeah, I'm in the town again. When I'm running them dudes, well, you know, it's all safe. That's what we were doing. We were showing at each other. We were trying to kill each other back in the days. Definitely. But this is where we're supposed to be.

1:03:25Shyne:We deserve to grow old. We deserve to take care of our grandkids. You deserve that vacation with your family in Belize. And when you get there, it's like we roll out the red carpet. We don't deserve to die early. You kids there. That is not hip hop. And that's why I'm coming back. Because I'm not coming back to rap about shooting anybody or killing anybody. I'm coming back to rap about this journey and my projection and developing Belize and opening the Brooklyn Chop House and just doing all types of fascinating things and, you know, making love to my woman and just having a great adult contemporary hip hop life.

1:04:10Murda:What's wrong with that shit?

1:04:11Shyne:World leader chic, right? We deserve to be presidents. We deserve to be CEOs and billionaires. this idea that in order to be African, to be brown and black in America, you have to be a gangster. You have to be a gangbanger. I reject that. I renounce that. That is a lie. That is not true. You need to be alive. You need to be successful. And you can be. America is the greatest country on earth. I love Belize, but America is a developed nation. Belize, we're developing. One day, Belize will be the greatest. Belize has the greatest people because that is my home, but you guys understand. You got to understand what I'm saying, right?

1:04:57Shyne:I just mean as far as developed nation, right? You guys have so much opportunities. I pray, and that's why I wanted to be prime minister of Belize, and I still do, so I could give the Belizeans the opportunity that you have in America. So for you young kids here in America, no, no, no, no. Drug trafficker, gangbanger, pimp, all of that, that was our era. That is like a dinosaur. You need to be alive, take advantage of these opportunities. AI is about to replace the human race. And you guys, if you keep thugging and bugging, gonna be the first that they make extinct. So, please.

1:05:39Murda:And there's cameras everywhere, so you can't do anything anyway. It's The Real Report. Like, share, subscribe. We got Sean in the building. Make sure y 'all check his documentary. Check out the new album he got. He's talking about his life story, doing 10 years in prison, hit albums, coming out and doing stuff with the government. Representative, it's on. Sean Poe, baby. Oh, yeah. Brooklyn.

1:06:08Yayo:Off-season football fans.

1:06:10Shyne:At first I was afraid. I was betrified. Football's over. It's like a part of me just died inside.

1:06:18Murda:200 days till football's back.

1:06:21Yayo:But tonight I won't just cry. Cause I've got a ways to play.

1:06:25Murda:And that's the place with hard rock bet I will survive.

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