S. Samuel
Former Bad Boy Records artist Shyne has penned a blog entry speaking on his survival through prison and how hip-hop ultimately got him through nearly ten years behind bars.
In his post, the rapper, who was released from jail October 2009, recalled the impact hip-hop had as he prepared for a prison sentence a decade ago.
“I love music!!! Music is the thread that binds the universe. Earth, wind, fire and water all sing the melody of the planet. I remember going to court shackled from hand to foot, my blood unable to circulate through my veins, about to face a judge whose only inclination is to pervert justice and lock me away for 25 years! But none of that mattered once DJ Mister Cee started blasting that classic Eric B. & Rakim mixed into B.I.G.‘s “Get Money (Remix).” In that moment I escaped it all. No judge! No shackles! No pain! No prison! The power of music. Music has a transformative power that is simply supernatural. The bass and the drum beat in perfect synchronicity with the heart. Robert Nester Marley‘s voice sounds like the chief angel Michael is telling you, “don’t worry about a thing, the sun is shining.” Even on Friday night in a maximum-security prison, I’m free singing “Kabbalah Shabbat.” I forget all the reasons to cry and despise, and my soul remembers when it was in unison with the source of all creation, not trapped in miserable body!” (XXL Mag)
Shyne also thought back to his teenage years and how artists like Tupac Shakur inspired him to treat his mother better.
“I remember being in a home for juveniles, taken away from my moms, but having the latest DJ Doo Wop or Ron G mixtape made the pain go away. Listening to 2Pac made me care about Brenda and feel like a creep for hurting my moms. N.W.A and Bob Dylan (and his song about Rubin “Hurricane” Carter) made me wanna stand up to police brutality and the neighbor hood bullies. Thus when I got out the home for kids I promised to never hurt my moms by going to jail or an early grave and I had to courage to stand up to anybody trying to take off my path! Music!!! Music is the rhythmic version of prayer. It talks to the soul. A gift from God!!!” (XXL Mag)
The LOX’s Styles P recently talked with SOHH about his past stints behind bars and what goes through the average entertainer’s mind.
“I think being in jail sucks. It just sucks, period, because you’re missing out on a lot and plus you’re famous so there’s a lot of attention drawn and with the time you don’t get a lot of peace of mind. With being in jail, you gotta be sure that you get it on your own and kinda struggle for that and then you got your family. First and foremost, you got your family missing you. Your kids, your spouse, your mom, your aunt, your uncle, your cousins, your brothers and sisters, etc, etc and then you got your homies without you. At the end of the day, you’re just missing a lot.” (SOHH Guest Star)
New York rapper Saigon also previously discussed the negative sides of jail.
“This is not rapping sh*t, this is real sh*t,” Saigon said in an interivew. “This is the sh*t n*ggas is going through — jail will eat some n*ggas up. Some n*ggas ain’t scared to go back. I’m scared of jail, n*gga. Shout-out to my n*gga Tru Life, Tru Life, I’m scared of jail. I’ll be the first one to say it, and it ain’t even a violent aspect of it or violence because I can handle myself, but it’s the motherf*cking agony and mental torture of prison. N*ggas don’t know how to — that sh*t is mental torture.” (Amalgam Digital)
Check out some recent Shyne footage down below:
