Sean Combs: The Reckoning is still stirring up conversations amongst members of the hip-hop community and the general public alike. The four-part docuseries, which is produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and directed by Alexandria Stapleton, covers Diddy’s career as well as the legal issues he’s faced in recent years. While more than a few of Combs’ former colleagues are interviewed for the doc, fellow artist Shyne is not. However, the rapper-turned-politician still has thoughts to share about the bombshell series.
After the Diddy docuseries’ release, some BTS details were shared. Something that’s been mentioned more generally is that Stapleton and co. reached out to more than a few potential interviewees for the series. During his recent appearance on The Breakfast Club (which is on YouTube), Shyne – whose birth name is Jamal Barrow – was asked about the report that Stapleton asked him to participate. Shyne’s response suggested the situation wasn’t as cut and dry:
I saw Alex, [who] directed the film. …. Alex said she did reach out to me. She probably did, but I saw her. Congratulations to her. She was nominated for a Director's Guild Award. I didn't see the documentary. I heard that it's great, it's powerful, it's award-winning worthy. I heard I was in the documentary, even though I didn't speak, but obviously, they told the truth about what I've been saying, so nothing that I'm saying is different than what I've said before. I didn't watch it because I just... That's my trauma. So, without getting into what he did to Cassie and what he did to all the other people that have accused him, I knew what he did to me as far as sending me to prison.
Shyne was signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records for a multi-record deal in 1998, and his debut album was eventually set for release in 2000. Ahead of that, though, Shyne was arrested in connection to the 1999 nightclub shooting that Diddy and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, were also linked to. While Diddy was acquitted, Shyne was convicted and sentenced to nine years behind bars. Following his release, the “It’s Ok” performer was deported to Belize, the country in which he was born.
Barrow – the ex-Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives – has since leveled claims against Combs. In his 2024 documentary, The Honorable Shyne, he accused Combs of derailing his life and alleged that he was used as a “scapegoat” during the nightclub shooting. With that, Barrow also said during his recent interview that he could “feel the pain of the victims,” who spoke out in The Reckoning. He also showed some support for Stapleton and Jackson while discussing the key difference between his doc and theirs:
I told my story. I didn't tell the Diddy story. Respect to Alex and to Fiddy. And, in all fairness, I see a lot of people attacking Fiddy, trying to bastardize the legitimate pain and suffering of those victims. But, without Fiddy, Alex might have had a hard time with her project and, yes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but [Diddy’s camp] did the same thing to me. So I feel the pain of the victims, Cassie, in particular, and everyone that went through what they went through. But I didn’t want to tell the Diddy story.
50 Cent – who’s had beef with Diddy and Shyne over the years – has been called petty for producing the doc. However, Fiddy has emphasized that his feud with Combs didn’t influence his decision to spearhead the show. Instead, he apparently wanted to convey a level of accountability within the hip-hop community in regard to Combs’ reported actions. Still, Diddy himself has taken issue with the show, and he accused Fiddy and Stapleton of using “stolen” footage to make it, though the pair have denied that claim.
While Shyne – doesn’t appear in Sean Combs: The Reckoning and hasn’t seen it, it sounds as though he appreciates the aim of the documentary. Time will tell if others weigh in on the doc with similar thoughts. In the meantime, the series remains streamable with a Netflix subscription, while Hulu subscription holders can check out The Honorable Shyne.
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