Shyne [PA]

Performer: Shyne
Artist: Barrington Levy; Slim From 112
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Shyne, Barrington Levy, Slim, DJ Fafu. Producers include: Shyne, Dee Trotman, Yogi, EZ Elpee, Mario Winans. Shyne's self-titled debut is packed with bangin' beats and hardcore lyrics that will please any hip-hop fan. The album's guest appearances are limited, leaving all the hard work to Shyne himself; he delivers vocals reminiscent of the Notorious B.I.G. Barrington Levy adds his reggae flavor on two of the albums hottest cuts, the EZ Elpee-produced "Bad Boyz Anthem" and the Chucky Thompson-orchestrated "Bonnie & Shyne." With Puffy in his corner, the Brooklyn-based rapper delivers the requisite party cuts as well, with "It's Ok" and "The Life." With enough beats to keep guys' heads bobbin' and females on the dance floor, SHYNE proves he's one of the bad boys.

Rolling Stone (10/12/00, p.89) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Like a 5-car pileup of luxury autos: a mix of beauty and destruction..." Spin (12/00, pp.218-9) - 6 out of 10 - "...Cops black gangster dreams straight from the pages of F.E.D.S....[its] strong producers...dress up his rhymes in frenetic electro beats, tweaked synths, and the old steel drum..." Uncut (9/01, p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Thoughtful soulful declaimations delivered with a deep hued baritone, Shyne is the brightest new star in the Puff Daddy firmament..." NME (Magazine) (11/11/00, p.32) - 7 out of 10 - "...To uptempo and always creative commercial grooves, steeped in reggae bass sonics, an amoral and anti-social scenario of guiltless casual sex, bloody murders, drug transactions, betrayals and, especially, the code of the streets, gets played out..."

Shyne became Puff Daddy's prodigy in the wake of the Notorious B.I.G.'s passing. With a voice and rhyme-style similar to "Biggie," Shyne signed a lucrative deal with Puffy's Bad Boys Records in 1998. However, later that year Shyne was arrested on attempted murder charges resulting from a shooting at a New York nightclub. The release of his self-titled debut was delayed until late 2000. The next year, Shyne was indicted and began serving a ten-year sentence. From prison, Shyne released a second album, GODFATHER BURIED ALIVE, on Def Jam Records. The uneven album found some success, but for the most part Shyne's life and career seem to be in limbo.

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