Former Bad Boy artist Moses “Shyne” Barrow has broken his silence on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest and wants to clear up any misconceptions about the dynamic of their relationship.
The rapper-turned-politician, who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives, spoke with reporters on Wednesday following Combs’ arrest on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. Barrow made sure to clarify where he stands with Combs following the 10 years he spent in prison on a gun charge he caught during a 1999 nightclub incident with his former Bad Boy boss.
“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,” he told Channel 5 Belize, “I was defending him, and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me. He contributed…he pretty much sent me to prison.”
“That is the context by which you must always describe that [relationship]. I forgave. I moved on. But let us not pretend as if I was in Miami for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Barrow added.
The “Bad Boyz” rapper was referring to the 1999 nightclub shooting in New York City involving himself, Combs, and Combs’ then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. Barrow was charged with assault and sentenced to 10 years in prison in June 2001. He was released in 2009 and deported to Belize.
Over the years, Barrow and Combs reunited. Barrow joined Combs on stage at the 2022 BET Awards, where Combs received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
@greatestmusicmoments_ Shyne performs “Bad Boyz” at the 2022 BET Awards honoring Diddy who received the lifetime achievement award #fypシ #fyp #Shyne #shynebarrow #Belize #belizean🇧🇿 #leaderoftheopposition #pdiddy #diddy #badboys #betawards #nostalgia #throwback #iconic #legendary #lifetimeachievementaward #rap #hiphop #major #respect #forgiveness ♬ original sound – GreatestMusicMoments
However, while Barrow became cordial with Combs, he didn’t want to confuse the public about his feelings for his former boss.
“So, let us not lose sight of what the cold, hard facts are,” Barrow continued. “This is not someone who I vacationed with and who he and 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 a position at that time to give scholarships and to maybe invest. I would not deny attempting to bring the investment to Belize and contribution to education to Belize,” he added.
“Don’t distort it as if he and I were boom bally. This is someone that destroyed my life,” he continued. “But 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.”
Many who watched a repost of the clip on X, formerly known as Twitter, praised the former rapper
amid Combs’s arrest and details of his indictment.“Shyne is such a class act. Prison changed the trajectory of his life,” one person wrote.
“This man’s reimagining and reinvention of himself should be a college course and, dare I say, a podcast (limited series, though),” added someone else.