Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in the shooting, while Diddy was acquitted
Former Bad Boy Records signee Moses “Shyne” Barrow is opening up about his rise to fame and the nightclub shooting that cut it short for his upcoming Hulu documentary, The Honorable Shyne.
The former Bad Boy Records signee, 45, opens the trailer, released Oct. 21, speaking about how “everybody that heard me wanted to sign me,” alongside a montage of his early days in the New York hip-hop underground — before he signed a deal with Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ label.
Set to his breakout hit “Bad Boyz,” named after the record label, Barrow reveals the intense record label courtships that ultimately landed the then-20-year-old rapper his Bad Boy deal, which he claims made him a “millionaire.”
The documentary trailer recounts Barrow’s version of the events of the 1999 Manhattan nightclub shooting involving Combs, 54, which left three people injured. Barrow was convicted of first-degree assault, and Combs was hit with felony gun charges.
During Combs’ trial, which featured more than 60 witnesses and dozens of court exhibits, he claimed to have fired the gun in self-defense and was acquitted of all charges in 2001 after rejecting a plea bargain deal.
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“Under no circumstances whatsoever did I have anything to do with a shooting,” Combs said in a press conference at the time. “I do not own a gun nor did I have possession of a gun that night.”
However, in the Honorable Shyne trailer, Shyne’s mother, Frances Myvette, alleged, “He was betrayed.”
Barrow echoed that statement and claims, “I was absolutely set up to be the fall guy.”
Combs’ legal team declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.
The documentary also follows Barrow’s life after prison, where he says he was able to “move on.” Barrow was deported back to his home country of Belize, and he went deeper into his journey after converting to Judaism, eventually becoming the country’s Music and Goodwill Ambassador. He has since been elected Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives.
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At the time of Barrow’s sentencing, Combs said, “Shyne’s sentence is unfair and extreme, as I know he had no intention of hurting anyone. My prayers are with him and his family. I’m shocked by today’s outcome. I will continue to support Shyne throughout his appeal.”
Barrow recently opened up about his time signed to Combs’ label in a September press conference held in Belize.
“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, I was defending him and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me,” he said. “He pretty much sent me to prison.”
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Barrow further goes on to say, “Let’s not lose sight of what the cold hard facts are. This is not someone who I vacationed with and someone who I enjoyed this great, intimate relationship of brotherhood. This is someone who destroyed my life, and who I forgave, and who I moved on.”
He also said he attempted to keep up a relationship with Combs for the benefit of the country, saying, “He was in the position at that time to give scholarships and maybe to invest. I would not deny attempting to bring the investment to Belize and bring the contributions to education.”
In 2023, the pair shared the stage when Combs brought Barrow out onstage to perform “Bonnie & Shyne” and “Bad Boyz” at a charity concert in London.
Combs was arrested on allegations of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution at the Park Hyatt in Manhattan on Monday, Sept. 16.
The indictment alleged that he ran a criminal group that carefully organized what Combs referred to as “freak offs.” Members of his staff allegedly planned events from start to finish in which Combs manipulated women to join him in drug-fueled orgys with male prostitutes, and filmed them to silence the victims after.