Music

Shyne Credits Nas, Kanye West, and Nicki Minaj With Keeping His Name Alive While He Was in Prison

Shyne says his peers continued giving him his flowers throughout his years behind bars.

Shyne in a white shirt and blue cap is smiling and pointing in a casual indoor setting. People are in the background.
(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Key Takeaways

  • Shyne credited Nas, The Game, Dipset and Nicki Minaj with keeping his name alive during his roughly eight years in prison, calling their support something “you can’t buy, you can’t force.”
  • He also recalled Kanye West saying “Free Shyne” on 106 & Park.
  • Shyne served nearly eight years for charges stemming from a 1999 shooting before his 2009 release and deportation to Belize.

Shyne is giving flowers to the artists who he says kept his name circulating while he spent roughly eight years behind bars.

During an appearance on UPROXX's Sound Check, the former Bad Boy rapper chose Nas when asked to pick between him and Kanye West, but said numerous peers supported him during what he called a "terrible, tragic time" in his life.

"There was so many of my colleagues that kept my name alive," Shyne said, placing The Game, Dipset and Nicki Minaj among them. "Those are things that you can't buy, you can't force, but that comes with integrity, that comes with that character."

Shyne also remembered Kanye shouting "Free Shyne" on 106 & Park. West later contributed production to Shyne's 2004 album Godfather Buried Alive, which was released while Shyne was serving his sentence stemming from an infamous 1999 shooting at a nightclub in New York. Shyne was released and deported to Belize in 2009.

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