About Shyne
Moses Michael Levi Barrow (born Jamal Michael Barrow; November 8, 1978), best known by his stage name Shyne, is a Belizean politician and former rapper. He served as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives, and the leader of the Belize United Democratic Party. Barrow was born in Belize City but moved to New York City as a child and began to rap as an adolescent. His most commercially recognized 2000 singles include, "Bad Boyz" and "Bonnie & Shyne" (both featuring Barrington Levy). He contributed to albums by artists including the Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumous Born Again, Mase's Double Up, Sean Combs's Forever, Usher's Confessions, and Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV. Shyne and his mother lived in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East Flatbush, where after being discovered freestyling in a barbershop, he became a rapper. On the verge of releasing his debut album under Combs' Bad Boy Records, on the evening of December 27, 1999, he went to a New York City nightclub with Combs and Jennifer Lopez. An argument broke out in the club between Combs and another man; gunshots followed with three bystanders injured. In June 2001, he was convicted of assault and unlawful possession of a weapon, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. His eponymous debut album was released in September 2000, going gold the following month. He continued to record music while incarcerated, eventually releasing his sophomore studio album, Godfather Buried Alive, under Def Jam Recordings in 2004. While serving his prison sentence, Shyne became interested in Judaism, becoming observant – practicing Orthodox Judaism, and officially changed his name to Moses Michael Levi Barrow in 2006. After he was released from prison in late 2009, he was deported to Belize. In 2010, he moved to Jerusalem, where he spent his time studying the Torah up to 12 hours a day. He returned to Belize in 2013, where he was appointed Belize Music and Goodwill Ambassador with a mandate to support the national music industry. Shyne was elected to the Belizean House of Representatives in the 2020 general election, as a member of the center-right United Democratic Party. He served as Leader of the Opposition and leader of the United Democratic Party between June and September 2021, and again from February 2022. A documentary about his life, The Honorable Shyne, was released by Hulu/Andscape in November 2024.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.