S. Samuel
Former Bad Boy Records artist Shyne recently reflected on his self-titled debut album and why Grammy-winning singer Usher was a guest feature he missed out on.
Breaking down each track, Shyne said he envisioned Usher on his “Bonnie & Shyne” hit.
“I wanted Usher on that record. I had a whole different hook idea for that record. But what happen was when Harve [Pierre] got Barrington Levy to sing on the ‘Bad Boyz’ sh*t I guess he freestyled and threw him on that and muthaf*ckas loved it. And when muthaf*ckas get into something it’s hard to be like, ‘But hold on…’ It wasn’t a matter of taking [Barrington] off [of the record], it was a matter of, Yo, everybody saying this sh*t is crazy, I’m on my coconut sh*t anyway, so whatever we can ‘G’ with it.” (XXL Mag)
Shyne also regretted looking back at his 112 featured record, “Get Out.”
“‘Get Out’ is the worst. That’s like one of the most misogynistic records ever. [Laughs]. I was wildin’, I was running down on the broads… That’s like the only record. I think I’m gonna release a 10th anniversary record, [and] I think I’ma take that off. When you’re young, dumb and full of cum–that’s that young sh*t. I don’t teach that to my little dogs. We ain’t emotional, we ain’t tryna marry nothing, but I f*ck with my broads. I wanna create Assata Shakurs, Angela Davis‘. I can’t say that I’m Bobby Seale or George Jackson and slut my broad out. I ain’t no suckas for love, but I ain’t gonna let no broads take advantage of me. But again it’s just ways to go about sh*t.” (XXL Mag)
Despite being involved in Diddy‘s New York City nightclub shooting in December 1999, Shyne’s debut still managed to hit shelves in the fall.
Just two weeks after the shooting incident, the Los Angeles Times reported that BMG, the company that owned Bad Boy at the time, was considering shelving Shyne’s forthcoming debut album — and perhaps even severing ties with Bad Boy altogether. Well, that didn’t happen as commercial interests trumped ethical considerations. BMG indeed retained its very lucrative ties to Bad Boy, and Shyne’s debut album did finally surface on September 26, 2000. The shooting scandal certainly helped garner interest in the release, and the self-titled album peaked at number five on Billboard’s album chart. It wasn’t a bona fide success, however. Neither of its singles — “Bad Boyz” and “That’s Gangsta” — was an especially big hit despite the media-circus publicity and a strong marketing push on behalf of BMG, and the album died a quick, quiet commercial death. And that was pretty much the end of Shyne as far as most were concerned — he was locked away in Clinton Correctional Facility, and his fan base was minimal and forgetful. (All Music)
After serving nearly ten years behind bars, Shyne inked a deal with Def Jam Records in February.
“It is an honour and a pleasure, not just for me but for Belize. Chairman [LA] Reid is on the level of Berry Gordy, Clive Davis, the biggest music men in the history of music, and so to have a partnership with Gangland Records and Island/Def Jam is incredible for me.” (7 News Belize)
Check out Shyne’s “Bonnie & Shyne” music video down below:
