If you’re tuned in to the world of early 2000s hip hop, or the world of modern Belizean politics, you may already be familiar with the name Shyne Barrow. The former rapper and current Opposition Party leader in Belize’s House of Representatives has one of the most fascinating backstories in all of pop culture and politics. Though he may not be as well known as his contemporaries like Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z, Shyne’s story is finally being told with the recent release of the Hulu original “The Honorable Shyne,” which dropped on the streamer earlier this month. In the documentary, Shyne outlines the untold truth about his time laboring under Bad Boy Records, his lengthy incarceration and his pivot into politics within his home country.
Given that the 46-year-old politician has led such a storied life, fans are justifiably wondering about other personal details, including his net worth, investment portfolio and various streams of income. Luckily, we’ve got you covered, with a quick but comprehensive guide to Shyne’s finances over the years. In order to understand the former rapper’s financial situation today, we’ll first have to dive in and unpack some of his greatest adversities. With no further preamble, let’s unpack Shyne’s career earnings and net worth.
Early Life And Family Background
Long before Shyne became known as the greatest cautionary tale in rap history, the respected party leader was born Jamal Michael Barrow in Belize City. Shyne’s father, Dean Barrow, was a prominent politician in the Central American nation, who went on to become the country’s first Black Prime Minister in 2008. His mother, on the other hand, is the sister to one of Dean Barrow’s political colleagues. When Shyne was born, his father was married to another woman, and feared that his tryst would negatively impact his political career. As a result, he refused to acknowledge his first-born son throughout his childhood. When Shyne was just seven years old, his mother moved him to the United States, where she raised him primarily in Brooklyn, New York.
While suffering under the yoke of poverty on the East Coast, Shyne found himself delivering packages via bicycle while his mother cleaned homes for wealthy families. At age 15, he considered selling drugs to supplement her income, though early forays into this territory resulted in a series of violent altercations, including one where Barrow was shot in the shoulder. After graduating from high school, Shyne was determined to escape poverty while remaining on the straight and narrow side of the law, though he saw few opportunities to progress within his community. During this time, he took an interest in hip hop culture and began penning rhymes and poems about his day-to-day experience on the streets of New York, which eventually caught the attention of legendary hip hop producer DJ Clark Kent.
Shyne’s Career Beginnings
Shyne was discovered as a musical entity shortly after the untimely death of rap icon The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997. His deep voice, Brooklyn background and street-wise lyricism caught the attention of many local listeners, who hailed Shyne as the second coming of Biggie. DJ Clark Kent was one of many who took note of Shyne’s musical promise, prompting him to push the young up-and-comer to freestyle for many industry insiders. He’s said to have received many offers from record labels at this time, though the one that ultimately won him over came from none other than the head of Bad Boy Records.
Shortly after joining the Bad Boy label, Shyne began popping up all over his label-mates’ releases, in collaboration with acts such as Mase, 112 and Total. He also holds writing credits on The Notorious B.I.G.’s posthumous album “Born Again.” Shyne’s self-titled debut LP was released in 2000 to major critical and commercial success, debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 charts and rapidly earning gold certification from the RIAA.
Just when things seemed to be looking up for Shyne, he experienced a myriad of hardships which shook his standing at the label and impacted his ability to release music. For starters, he was involved in a car accident while driving one of his brand new vehicles – a silver Mercedes, which resulted in the death of his close friend, who was sitting in the passenger seat. This loss left Shyne depressed and unable to focus on writing lyrics, which strained his newfound relationship with Bad Boy. To make matters worse, his spending was out of control, having newfound access to wealth. Videos from this time period show that Shyne was investing his millions into diamond jewelry, luxury watches and a number of other material things.
Bad Boy Studio Shooting And Other Legal Drama
Barrow’s issues came to a fever pitch in 1999, when he became involved in a pair of separate shooting incidents that would change the course of his life forever after. As the former rapper reveals in “The Honorable Shyne,” he was accosted in a violent encounter by some of his own label-mates at Bad Boy’s in-house recording studio. Apparently several members of Biggie’s Junior M.A.F.I.A. group took issue with Shyne’s sonic similarities to their deceased leader, prompting affiliates of Lil’ Cease to fire their weapons in Shyne’s direction. Having now faced multiple near-death experiences, two of which involved being on the wrong end of a firearm, Shyne decided to purchase his own array of weapons, which he maintains were only to be used in self defense.
Shyne spoke about the initial shooting during a 2010 interview with The Jerusalem Post, explaining “I was working in the studio one day, really focused, determined, and the next thing you know shots are fired. I went into post traumatic stress disorder. I was shot when I was 15; I had seen guys in my neighborhood get their heads blown off. And the police-civilian relationship in the urban world was nonexistent so that wasn’t an option. I didn’t know what to do, I was afraid for my life. So I got a gun. It was a terrible mistake.”
In December of 1999, Shyne was unfortunately made to put his newly acquired weaponry to good use after a second shootout took place in a New York nightclub. The night was intended to celebrate a largely successful year with the Bad Boy label. As the celebration commenced, an argument that led to several men drawing guns and firing inside of the crowded establishment. In the previously mentioned Jerusalem Post interview, Shyne stated “I know for a fact that this guy is a stone cold murderer from Brooklyn, and I know there’s not going to be too much talking before he pulls his gun out. The next thing you know, someone who was with the guy from Brooklyn pulls the gun, so I did too. I was just defending myself.”
Shyne later faced federal prosecution including gun charges, attempted murder, possession of illegal weapons and more. Though he admitted to possession of a 9 millimeter handgun, Shyne has maintained for over two decades that he fired shots into the club’s ceiling, and never aimed his weapon at another person. Ballistics experts seemed to corroborate this claim during the trial, arguing that the only injuries sustained in the shootout must have come from .40 caliber weaponry. Despite the comprehensive defense and ballistics report, Shyne was convicted on counts of assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of an illegal weapon. He was sentenced to serve ten years in prison without the possibility of parole, upending his life and effectively halting his music career in its tracks.
Shyne’s Prison Sentence And Additional Music Ventures
Shyne began serving his sentence in 2001. While in prison, he became connected to his roots as a descendant of Ethiopian Jews and converted to Judaism. During this time, he changed his name to Moses Levi Barrow, and underwent a lengthy spiritual journey. Needless to say, this spiritual awakening was somewhat at odds with his gangster persona, though he continued to write and record new music while incarcerated.
Specifically, Shyne was able to depart his deal with Bad Boy Records and ink a new $3 million contract with Def Jam for the release of his 2004 sophomore effort, “Godfather Buried Alive.” Though he was able to use his advance funds from the deal to keep his mother afloat on the outside, Shyne was barred from making any money on the album due to New York’s “Son of Sam” laws. This was a crippling blow to the rapper’s overall finances, as the project debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 charts, making it his most commercially successful venture. He also couldn’t capitalize on his career hype with any tours, live appearances, or brand deals, leaving him effectively stuck in a perpetual state of financial limbo.
Deportation And Shift To Politics
After serving nine of his ten-year sentence, Shyne was released, though his status as a foreign national and violent criminal offender left him unable to return to New York as a free man. Instead, the department of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately transferred the rapper to a detention facility before officially processing his deportation from the United States back to Belize. Upon his return to his home nation, Shyne reconnected and made amends with his father, who served as the sitting Prime Minister at the time. The senior Barrow plead with the Obama administration to overturn Shyne’s conviction, though United States officials seemed largely ambivalent to the request.
While Shyne was undoubtedly hurt by his inability to return to the U.S., he was welcomed back into Belize with open arms. In 2010, he was appointed Music and Goodwill Ambassador to the nation, allowing him to boost tourism and revenue in Belize with a series of concerts and public events; Shyne even brought big-name acts such as Kanye West to the nation for the very first time. During the 2020 general election, Barrow was nominated to the Belize House of Representatives, where he continues to serve to this day. His father officially retired from politics that very same year, allowing Shyne to set his sights on the office of Prime Minister. For now, the 46-year-old works tirelessly as the Opposition Leader to the current establishment, with plans to throw his hat into the ring for head of state in 2025.
Income, Salary And Current Net Worth
Though Shyne has released several singles, a mixtape and an array of featured guest verses since concluding his incarceration in 2009, it seems as though his life as a rapper is officially behind him. The respected politician has shifted into a new career where he can focus on providing humanitarian aid and overall reform to his constituents, and he seems as happy as ever to do it. At this time, it’s hard to say how much money he stands to make on his existing catalogue of music, though he has amassed a listenership of more than 300,000 monthly users on Spotify alone. These already impressive numbers are expected to see a jump now that Shyne’s name is in the news following the release of his Hulu documentary.
With both Bad Boy and Def Jam likely taking a sizeable portion of Shyne’s music revenue, it’s expected that the politician’s current profession as Opposition Leader provides him with most of his annual income. According to the 2020 edition of the National Assembly of Belize induction handbook, members of the nation’s House of Representatives are paid a basic salary of $37,800 annually. Though this figure may seem quite humble in comparison to the staggering salary of American government officials, it should be noted that the cost of living is significantly lower in Belize than it is in the United States.
Per Celebrity Net Worth, Shyne is expected to be worth just $500,000 in 2024. Obviously, this figure pales in comparison to the millions he once held, and the many millions he could have earned had his career not been derailed in 1999. Still, Shyne seems to feel that everything happens for a reason, as his faith, relationship with his father and his humanitarian work with the people of Belize matter more to him than his rap career ever did.
