Shyne is the latest to speak out about Diddy’s arrest and indictment in New York, saying he has forgiven the Bad Boy Records founder for having “destroyed” his life.
Speaking with reporters this week, as seen in footage shared by Channel 5 Belize, Shyne, a former Bad Boy artist who’s now the Belize United Democratic Party leader, looked back on his initial relationship with Diddy as “an 18-year-old kid” who simply wanted to make his mother and his home country “proud” of his accomplishments.
“I was defending him and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me,” Shyne said earlier this week, referencing his 10-year sentence in a 1999 shooting incident for which Diddy was acquitted. “He contributed, he pretty much sent me to prison. So that is the context by which you must always describe that relationship. Yes, I forgave. I moved on. But let us not pretend that I was in Miami for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
After some pushback, Shyne continued, saying a so-called “birthday event” involving Diddy was instead a “charity event for impoverished youth in London.” He then reiterated his assessment of his and Diddy’s relationship, as well as his forgiveness for things he says transpired in the past.
“Let us not lose sight of what the cold hard facts are,” he said. “This was not someone who I vacationed with and who, he and I enjoyed this great intimate relationship of brotherhood. This is someone who destroyed my life and who I forgave and I moved on.”
Later, he urged reporters to not “distort” the relationship.
“This is someone who destroyed my life,” he said again. “But do I take any joy or any satisfaction with what he is going through? Absolutely not. I am different than, maybe, others. No one needs to fail for me to succeed.”
Shyne was then asked about what prosecutors have repeatedly described as alleged “Freak Offs,” which a recently unsealed indictment alleges involved the distribution of drugs in an effort to, at least according to prosecutors, keep alleged victims “compliant.” This prompted an “oh my goodness” from Shyne, followed by laughter.
“I had nothing to do with Sean Combs’ personal life, no interaction at that level,” he said. “Everything was strictly on a professional level.”
Diddy has pleaded not guilty in the case. As of this writing, he remains behind bars.
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