''Shyne'' is the debut album by Belizean-American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

Shyne Moses Michael Levi Barrow (born Jamal Michael Barrow; November 8, 1978), best known by his stage name Shyne, is a Belizean politician and former rapper. He served as Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives, and the lead ...

. It was released by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs'

Bad Boy Records Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American independent record label. The label was founded in 1993 by rapper and record producer Sean Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip-hop and contemporary R&B, R&B a ...

on September 26, 2000. Shyne had been hyped prior to the album's release as similar in style and delivery to the deceased

Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

Shyne had also drawn unfavorable media attention for being convicted in June 2000 for his involvement in a nightclub shooting. Shyne was incarcerated at the time of this album's release. The album debuted and peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold just under 160,000 copies in its first week. It sold very well, eventually achieving Gold status. It contained fewer guest artists than most Bad Boy releases. The singles from the album, "

Bad Boyz "Bad Boyz" is the lead single released from Shyne's eponymous debut album, ''Shyne'' (2000). The song was produced by Ez Elpee and featured reggae artist Barrington Levy. The song includes a sample from "Nightclubbin" by Grace Jones. To date, "B ...

," "

Bonnie & Shyne "Bonnie & Shyne" is the 3rd and final single released from Shyne's eponymous debut album. The song was produced by Chucky Thompson and features vocals from reggae artist Barrington Levy, his second collaboration with Levy (the first being " Bad ...

" (which both feature

Barrington Levy Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist from Clarendon, Jamaica. Career In 1977, Levy formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Bla ...

), and " That's Gangsta" were moderate hits.

Critical reception

''Shyne'' received mixed reviews from music critics. Jason Birchmeier of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

thought the album was "forgettable" and "far too contrived, seeming staged and overly theatrical". In his review for ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'', Craig Seymour wrote that Shyne lacked the "insight, pathos, and humor" of the Notorious B.I.G. he is trying to imitate, but commended the production of the album. Steve 'Flash' Juon of ''RapReviews'', comparing it to the debut album '' Life Story'' of Shyne's labelmate

Black Rob Robert Ross (June 8, 1968 – April 17, 2021), known professionally as Black Rob, was an American rapper who was signed to Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment. He was best known for his 2000 single " Whoa!", which peaked at number 43 on ...

, saying that ''Shyne'' "lacks the charm" of the former. He described Shyne's vocals as pleasing but uncompelling, pointing out that the album doesn't have a common theme "other than the fact Shyne (or his rap persona) is a flossy criminal". Kris Ex of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' thought ''Shyne'' "could be the pinnacle of Y2K thug pathology". He described the production as "dramatic yet minimalist", but also thought Shyne's vocal performance "puts him more in league with B-team players".

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...

, writing for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'', believed the album is "saved by strong producers", who "dress up hyne'srhymes in frenetic electro beats, tweaked synths, and the old steel drum", but criticized the vocals too. "If Shyne's style is twice-heard, his stories are thrice-told", wrote the journalist.

Kim Osorio Kim Osorio (born June 14, 1974 in The Bronx, New York City) is an American journalist, writer, author, TV producer and personality. She was also a cast member on the American reality TV series, " The Gossip Game" on VH1. Life and career Early l ...

of ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

'' also thought the album "sport some of the hottest beats hip-hop has heard in a while", but "Shyne ..doesn't say anything here to make listeners hit rewind". Derek A. Bardowell of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' commended the rapper, who despite "say ngnothing new" has an "uptight, slightly nasal vocal style ..arresting enough to keep it interesting". Talking about the production, he added that ''Shyne'' "features some of the most original beats laced on a hip-hop album this year". '' Uncut'' magazine described the album as " oughtful soulful declamations delivered with a deep hued baritone".

Track listing

Samples

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. * "That's Gangsta" ** "Misdemeanor" by Foster Sylvers ** "It's Funky Enough" by

The D.O.C. Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), better known by his stage name the D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Along with his solo career, he was a member of the Southern hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew, and later co-wr ...

* "Commission" ** "You Were Made For Me" by

Luther Ingram Luther Thomas Ingram (November 30, 1937 – March 19, 2007) was an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. His most successful record, "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right", reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and No. 3 ...

* "It's OK" ** "Magic Wand" by

Whodini Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York–based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy (who wore a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; Jun ...

* "The Life" ** "Just Memories" by

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American tenor singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temp ...

* "Bonnie & Shyne" ** "La Vie En Rose" by

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

* "The Hit" ** "Todo Se Derrumbo Dentro De Mi" by

Emmanuel Immanuel or Emmanuel (, "God swith us"; Koine Greek: ) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the House of David. The Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 1:22 –23) interprets this as a prophecy of ...

* "Bad Boyz" ** "Nightclubbin'" by

** "Here I Come" by

* "Whatcha Gonna Do" **"Set It Off" by

Strafe Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such a ...

**" Whoa!" by

**Violins sampled from "Days of Pearly Spencer" by David McWilliams

Credits

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. * Sean "P. Diddy" Combs – composer, executive producer * Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre – associate executive producer, A&R * Chris Athens – mastering * Marc "DJ Fafu" Pfafflin – scratches, engineer * Paul Logus – mixing, engineer * Ed Raso – mixing, engineer * Michael Patterson – mixing, engineer * Joe Perrera – mixing * Rob Paustian – mixing, engineer * Roger Che – engineer * Charles Spencer – engineer * Dominick Mancuso – engineer * Lynn Montrose – engineer * Eric "Ebo" Butler – engineer * Rasheed Goodlowe – engineer * Jim Janik – engineer * Stephen Dent – engineer * George "G-Man" Grimstead – engineer * Franko Caligiuri – art director * Kevin Knight – photography * Bobby Springsteen – A&R * Kim Lumpkin – project manager * Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2000 debut albums Albums produced by the Neptunes Albums produced by Mario Winans Albums produced by Sean Combs Albums recorded at the Hit Factory Bad Boy Records albums Shyne albums