(NewsNation) — A former Bad Boy Records rapper turned Belizean politician responds to the arrest of his former mentor and associate, Sean “Diddy” Combs, with a harsh reality: “This is someone that destroyed my life.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow was 21 years old when he went to a New York City nightclub with Combs, who signed the up-and-coming rapper to his record label upon meeting in 1998. About a year later, Barrow was with Combs when his new boss and another man were arguing. Shots rang out, injuring three bystanders. Barrow was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Upon his release, he was deported to his native country of Belize.
Barrow spoke to the media at a press conference on Sept. 18 in Belize when he made the comments in response to Diddy’s arrest two days prior. “He pretty much sent me to prison,” he said at the conference.
The now-45-year-old is the Leader of the Opposition for the Belize House of Representatives, first becoming a member of the House in 2020. Born Jamal Michael Barrow, the rapper’s stage name was Shyne. A native of Belize, he moved to New York City with his mother as a child, and that’s where he met Diddy when his rap career took off in the late 1990s. “Shyne” wrote and performed on several popular albums including Usher’s “Confessions,” Lil Wayne’s “Carter IV,” Notorious B.I.G’s “Born Again” and Diddy’s (at the time Puff Daddy’s) “Forever” (released three months before the 1999 shooting).
In previous interviews, Barrow has said he was the “fall guy” for the shooting but clarified that he doesn’t blame Combs. At the September press conference, he says he’s forgiven his former mentor, who he says he was never close enough to consider a “brotherhood” with him.
“This is someone who, in a sense, testified against me when I was on trial, when I was an 18-year-old kid, just wanting to do nothing other than make my mom proud …” said Barrow, who has maintained his innocence from the start. “This is someone who destroyed my life and who I forgave.”
Combs’ then-girlfriend singer and actress Jennifer Lopez was with him the night of the shooting, and both were soon arrested after fleeing the scene. Neither were charged in connection to the shooting.
Weighing in on Comb’s recent arrest, Barrow said, “One of the things I would never wish on my worst enemy is to be incarcerated … so I take no joy in anyone’s challenges whether with the criminal justice system or otherwise.”
“Do I take satisfaction in what he is going through? Absolutely not,” he continued.
Natania Reuben, one of the shooting victims, told NewsNation in March that she has spent the past 25 years trying to clear Barrow’s name.
Reuben says Combs was the one who shot her in the face. She settled a lawsuit against Combs in 2011 for $130 million.
Combs has faced numerous lawsuits in recent years by former associates, including singer and ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones.
Combs remains in the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York under suicide watch as he faces charges of racketeering, sexual assault and transportation to engage in prostitution.