Shyne, the rapper and former protégé of Sean Diddy Combs, said his former mentor “destroyed” his life after they were both implicated in a New York City nightclub shooting in 1999. But he denied taking any umbrage at the Bad Boy Records founder’s recent arrest on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and other related offences.
“The one thing I would never wish on my greatest enemy is to be incarcerated,” said an artist from Belize named Moses Barrow, who spent about eight years in prison while Combs was acquitted in connection with the same shooting. “So I take no joy in anybody raising any objections, whether it’s the criminal justice system or anything else.”
“But let me be clear: any account of the relationship must be honest. This is someone who essentially testified against me when I was on trial — when I was an 18-year-old kid who wanted nothing more than to make my mother and Belize proud and to do what we all want: to be recognized for my talents and conquer the world. This is someone who destroyed my life.”
Barrow’s harsh remarks were made during a press conference on Thursday while discharging his duties as Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives.
A day earlier, a federal judge in New York City denied Combs’ request for home detention for the second time after authorities jailed him on Tuesday on a 14-page indictment that included three counts of sex trafficking by coercion, fraud or threat, organized criminal conspiracy and transportation for prostitution.
Reporters on Thursday asked Varrow, 45, if he knew about or had any involvement in some of the most salacious allegations against Combs: that the three-time Grammy Award winner forced sex trafficking victims into group sex acts with purported companions, videotaped the acts, and masturbated to them. According to the indictment, these so-called “abnormal acts” were so physically exhausting for Combs and the victims (who were allegedly forced to take drugs) that all of them “were on IV drips to recover.”
Barrow laughed off the question. “Well, I have no involvement in Sean Combs’ personal life,” he said. “It’s all entirely on a professional level.”
The criminal indictment against Combs, which was secretly handed up by a grand jury on Sept. 12 and made public five days later, left many wondering how Barrow would respond.
The two were arrested in what was then the largest criminal trial involving prominent figures in the hip-hop industry after a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub left three people injured.
Combs, 54, was ultimately acquitted of charges of bringing an illegal gun into a club and trying to bribe a driver to take legal responsibility for the gun, while Varrow was found guilty of assault and other charges, spent time in prison and was deported to Belize, blunting some of the success he had from his acclaimed debut album.
Combs was in a relationship with singer Jennifer Lopez at the time of the shooting, and was also arrested in that case. However, the charges against her were dropped, and she has not previously commented publicly on the sex trafficking allegations. Combs has pleaded not guilty and could face life in prison if convicted.
Barrow said Thursday that he had “forgiven” Combs and “moved on.” He acknowledged that he had since tried to find out whether Combs would invest some money in the education system in Belize and the Caribbean.
“But let’s not forget the cold hard facts,” Barrow said. “This is a man who destroyed my life.”
But he ventures to add: “Am I happy about what he’s going through? Absolutely not. I’m not like other people. I don’t need someone to fail for me to succeed. No one should have to suffer.”
