Shyne has one of the most infamous careers in all of hip hop. He was pegged to be Bad Boy's next big star after the death of Biggie in 1997. He was Diddy's protege, until a fateful shooting in a nightclub led to his arrest. Shyne spent a decade in prison for assault, and many felt he took the fall for an incident that that was perpetrated by Diddy. The Bad Boy mogul's reputation could not be worse at the moment, so Shyne took the opportunity to discuss his relationship with Diddy during a recent appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Shyne admitted to having conflicted feelings about Diddy. He acknowledged the important lessons he learned while under Diddy's wing in the late 90s. "I learned a lot, as far as being an entrepreneur," the rapper explained. "As far as being a disrupter, a trailblazer. I got exactly what I went to the university of Bad Boy [for], with Diddy as professor, when it comes to entertainment." Shyne also credited Diddy in terms of establishing a strong work ethic. The rapper-turned-politician has been able to translate said work ethic to his role as the leader of the Belize United Democratic Party.
Shyne Also Referred To Diddy As A "Creep"
There is, of course, the flip side of the coin. Shyne disparaged Diddy for failing to provide financial compensation, despite his willingness to take the fall for the mogul on a prison rap. "People say, 'Oh Diddy gave me millions to go to jail,'" the rapper recounts. "Nothing. [He] probably made two, what I thought were offensive contributions over the last 20 years." Shyne did not mince words when it came to Diddy's character, either. He referred to the mogul as "the devil" after his ordeal in prison. "For years I was saying what a creep I thought he was," the rapper explained. "How he destroyed my life, and at one point I thought he was the devil."
Shyne credits his faith, and his second career as a politician in his native Belize, as the reasons why he was able to get out of this negative headspace. The rapper no longer harbors negative feelings for what Diddy did to him. Shyne's timing could not be better. He is the star of the new documentary series The Honorable Shyne, which not only details his political career but his controversial past with Diddy. It will likely be another nail in the coffin of the mogul's reputation.