POWER OF THE DOLLAR$

Week 2

SHYNE

It is a well-known fact that in our society MONEY is a universal language known to many. Celebrities are very fluent in this language because it is a part of their every day lives. In my last blog I focused on the high profile court case of Sean “P.Diddy” Combs. In this case he was acquitted of the charges that he shot several people at a New York nightclub. Although he walked away a free man his protege’ Shyne did not have that same luxury.

Rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow gave a tearful apology to the victims of the shooting after being sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a 1999 shooting at a night club involving P. Diddy’s entourage. Shyne was convicted by the same jury that acquitted his mentor and his bodyguard. He was facing as many as 32 years behind bars on assault and weapon charges. Under state law, he must serve a minimum of 8 1/2 years.

The jury found that Shyne had fired into a crowd at Club New York, a popular night club in Times Square, on December 22, 1999, striking one person in the face, another in the shoulder and a third in the arm. He was at the nightclub with P. Diddy and his girlfriend at the time Jennifer Lopez. The prosecution argued that Shyne was trying to kill someone who had insulted P. Diddy. Shyne said that he acted only in self-defense that night and fired his gun after others began to shoot.

During the trial he addressed one of his victims Natania Reueben saying”Ms. Reueben, I’m sorry that you hurt. I’m sorry that you suffered. I never meant to hurt anybody. I was afraid for my life and I still maintain that it wasn’t my gun that caused the injuries.” He also quoted the 23rd Psalm and told the judge Charles Solomon, “I beg the court mercy not to waste my life”. After Ms. Reueben, one of the victims heard Shyne’s apology she explained the effects that the shooting had on her. She also attacked the kind of “gangsta rap” that Shyne performs, saying that “ raunchy lyrics that tell our children to bust their guns in the air” were equivalent of giving children “ spoons of arsenic”.

Prosecutor Mathew Bogdanos also attacked Shyne’s violent lyrics, including a track called “Let Me See Your Hands”, in which Shyne raps about hanging out with P. Diddy “ gun cockin’ and poppin, somebody call Cochran”. That particular lyric is very ironic because Johnnie Cochran was a major part of P. Diddy’s defense team. The prosecutor went on to say that Shyne “ has chosen the way of the gun without regard to innocent victims because it was a lifestyle he admired.” He also claimed that Shyne was benefiting from his notoriety in the rap world and that the shooting has made him a name.

Shyne’s defense attorney Mr. White insisted that Shyne was not a thug, but a man with “ solid, moral values”. He admitted that Shyne used violent imagery and profanities, but said that Shyne was only trying to reach a “disenfranchised” community to encourage young black men “ to rise up from the ghetto mentality of hopelessness.” He begged the court not to take away Shyne’s youth.

During the sentencing Judge Solomon “ I’ve agonized over this for months”. He said that determining a fair sentence for Shyne, who described as a “young man with a promising future,” was among the toughest of his career. After receiving hundreds of letters urging a lenient sentence from the rapper’s fans, Judge Solomon sentenced Jamal “Shyne” Barrow to ten years at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York.

Now you are probably thinking that the idea of “ Money Talks” was proven false in this case, however, it hasn’t. Sure Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but he continues to make records, interviews and even make music videos. Shyne has conducted interviews with The New York Times, MTV News, and Vibe Magazine, among a host of other media outlets. He has also recorded tracks for his new album “God Father Buried Alive” over the phone while he is incarcerated.

According to the Associated Press, New York law prohibits prisoners from calling cell phones, having calls transferred, doing business via phone or calling reporters outside of the designated media list. So with all of these restrictions how does Shyne continue to slip through the cracks? MONEY TALKS!! With al of the phone calls and extra media, Shyne’s link to the outside world doesn’t end there. Shyne signed a deal with Def Jam Records, after a bidding war with Warner Bros. Records, for approximately $3 million for the first album alone. He has already appeared on the remix of the hit Usher song “Confessions”, which he recorded over the phone at the Clinton Correctional Facility. Aside from that Shyne also shot a video for his catchy song “Jimmy Choo” that features singer Ashanti. The video held the number one spot on BET’S 106th and Park for several weeks. He is also said to have recorded up to a dozen songs prior to his incarceration. Those verses, put to new beats, may constitute and album for Def Jam Records.

Even after the trial, after being convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail, Shyne continues to prosper. His ties to the outside world grow stronger with each penny he pockets from record sales. But is it fair that he is granted the opportunity to record songs, conduct interviews, make music videos and even sign record contracts for $3 million? For some jail is equivalent to hell and is the ultimate punishment. However, for Shyne jail is simply a room at the Trump Towers fully equipped with a recording studio and all of the media he wants. Shyne may have been convicted but his fluency in the universal language of money allows him to benefit greatly. All I know is that whatever class he signed up for in school to learn the language is a class that many want to be a part of.