In a press conference at a school in his native Belize yesterday, rapper Shyne, who legally changed his name to Moses Michael Leviy, spoke to students about avoiding the mistakes that helped to derail his promising rap career.
Leviy visited Wesley College, a school he briefly attended in 1993.
“As Shyne, I think they want to hear what I have to say and what I do have to say is not, ‘listen man I am on a gangster roll.’ No listen, look what gangster roll got me. Look where it led me. And I am not telling you what to do because I am not a preacher and I am not everybody’s father but I am exhibit A of what’s going to happen if you don’t stay in Wesley College, you dig. If you don’t go to that sixth form, if you don’t try to go to the university you’re going to spend the rest of your life in the cooker or you’re going to be in the grave. That is what this is about.
This is not about any type of romanticizing. No, this is about me, this is about them, and hopefully them learning from me that listen, I don’t want to make the mistakes that he made but if you do make a mistake you can transform that mistake. That is what a mistake is, not continuing to hit yourself in the brick wall but understand this is a brick wall, I ran into it, let me tear this wall down, or let me just go a different direction.”
On being deported from the United States after serving 9 years in a NY prison:
“Listen people sell tens of millions of records outside of the States. Quite frankly the Euro is stronger than the dollar right now. So I will make far more money in Europe and in Japan and throughout the world than I would make in the States.” Read more…
“Listen people sell tens of millions of records outside of the States. Quite frankly the Euro is stronger than the dollar right now. So I will make far more money in Europe and in Japan and throughout the world than I would make in the States.”
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Did he learn that while in jail? I don’t know what but shyne gets a HOW CARES from me. You wasn’t even selling million of records in the states…
*who cares
we do care. i’d be interested in chatting with him. I wonder if we could get him for a Thursday evening SR chat/blog visit.
He’s baaaaaaack!
TEAM SHYNE!!! I hear what he’s saying. He was asked about being deported and was just saying our dollar sucks so he’ll make more money releasing albums from places that the money is worth more than the US dollar. Do you Shymoses
I hope Shyne’s career takes off. I’m rooting for you Shyne!
Never bought his cd but I did like Shynes music and wish him well and no that doesn’t make me a hypocrite *waving to Hermosa*
Good luck n God Bless
jamaican man: oooo whooooa shimmity boppidity oooh whooa SING..something somethin-something cuz we are dangerous!!
exhibit A: dont sign with bad boy
exhibit B: dont sign anything with sean combs attached
exhibit C: dont believe diddy when he asked you to hold his gun while he ties his shoes!
Eagerly waiting on a Shyne Album
co sign @ 10. can’t wait for shyne. he’s soooooo smart @ “Quite frankly the Euro is stronger than the dollar right now.”
kelly rowland:
on euro $ vs american change!
@mason
Loved Shyne! I think he’ll def make a comeback. I feel bad for him.
I love shyne music and I can see him being a MEGA SUPERSTAR RAPPER in Europe and I will purchase his album!
@mason…
DEAD!!!!!
lord knows u ain’t lyin!!!!!
Y’all ALREADY know how I feel about record sales IN REGARDS to justifying an artist quality of music-n-art
Shyne is a BAD MAN and HIS music is Real Tight…
LIKES Me Some Shyne — “Bonnie & Clyde” anyone
SHYNE said:
So this is not a conversion but nonetheless in life you are what you are and that is who I am. I don’t want to be like Michael Jordan, I want to be like Moses or King David or King Solomon. Those are the guys that I aspire to be like. I didn’t want to be like the kingpin on my block, I want to be like the guy that part the seas. That is the reason why I took that name because my life is one big red sea.
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all that and at the end they speculate he may sign with Jayz….WTF…SHYNE i thought you had sense….SHYNE sign yourself! Listen to Siegel….jay want a bunch of boys not MEN! He want people he can tell what to do..where to go and when
masonmom pretty much summed it up. 10 millions of records, happens without the US only if you’re a Chinese pop star, does he plan on rapping in Mandarin?
after being out the game so long i wonder how he will sound moses drop a single
@ KaraZ, so you want to tell us that only US artists or those signed to US labels move millions of records? What world are you living in, bet you also think Hollywood makes the most movies per year not knowing Bollywood (India) is the world leader in number of movies released and money made.
It’s a big world out there, it’s liveable, it functions and it’s prosperous. I admire that business acumen of US artists and US labels but that’s not the Alpha & Omega of album sales. The Beatles aren’t American, neither are Alpha Blondy, Angelique Kidjo, Pankaj Udhas, UB40, Julio Iglesias, MC Solaar…etc, etc (Google them if you must) yet they sell tens of millions of records everytime…without even touring the US.
Shine can make it anywhere, in the US, in Belize and internationally.
I don’t even think it is about some album sales. the US has been his home, he grew up here and now he has been kicked out and most likely can’t return. I am pretty sure he has friends and family here.
It is always easy to say what Shyne should and shouldn’t do if you are not in his shoes. He got a raw deal period, his situation is messed up, anyway you look at it. There are child molesters with crimes way more heinous than what he did, they got off with a slap on the wrist. Sorry there is no justice!
^^^
Yeah the 9 years is a F-ing JOKE and I don’t mean FUNNY Ha-Ha Joke either… THEIR systematically trying to destroy the black race by attacking BLACK TEENS-n-MEN at every conceivable level… AND NOW Their trying to get at OUR Kids-n-Babies BECAUSE the Railroad (Judicial) System can’t get at them !!!
Yep, they took 9 years of his life then they deport him. Deportation is cruel punishment especially if you been here ALL your life. Its different if you been here a year or two. I watched a documentary on the Mexican border and it is some REAL sh!t. We can comment and talk sh!t all day but what they go through is real suffering. I mean being in jail here is easier to deal with, people in the pen get more privileges at least people can come see them every weekend unless your ass just did some crazy ish. Shyne did his time, pay his debt, now they basically f**king him all over again.
That’s why I think we are some real hypocrits! We as nation have no compassion, you can sit here and debate all day, when we get kicked out of our homes because banks ripped us off, we want leniency and understanding, run for help but when others that live under far worse conditions, try for a better life,we can say all the things they need to do and so on, we quick to say f**k you! But if we are personally involved we want everybody to be on our side. Its bullsh!t
KaraZ – Will he rap in Mandarin? LOL! Does Beyonce sing in Mandarin when she goes over there to do concerts? Who even says he has to? Music is universal – either it works or it doesn’t.
there’s a whole world outside of the U.S. Lets all experience it.
My godbrother’s wife is facing deportation now. They have four kids and have been married for 6 years. She was born in Jamaica and her mom brought her here illegally as a child. She never knew. She’s been using the same fake SS# all her life. She gets into some (STUPID) trouble and after serving 2 years, they’re trying to deport her!
^^^ If she is married and has children how can her deport her? Is her a husband a citizen?
heavn_sent,
That is messed up. I hope everything works out for your godbrother and his family. If she already did her time, and paid for whatever she did..they should leave her alone.
@Dblaq, unfortunately that means nothing. They got hip to people who were coming here illegally, having kids (who would be citizens) and then trying to stay b/c of the kids. Now, they will tell you, either take your kids with you, or let them live here with a CITIZEN. This happened to a friend of mine. He has 2 kids that are citizens. One has sickle cell, and his financial support helped pay for his child’s medical care…they still sent him back to Jamaica.
What about her husband, I thought that was how you become citizen in the first place. If they got married in the states couldn’t he get her to stay including the kids? I heard of a few people that were able to do that? or is it because she came here illegally?
I said “10 millions of records, happens without the US only if you’re a Chinese pop star, does he plan on rapping in Mandarin?” If he’s thinking he can make as much money in his particular genre without having a presence in the US, he’s joking. @akiey, thank you for your brief education on foreign entertainment industries, it might please you to know that most music I listen to is in foreign languages & I watch more Nollywood movies than Hollywood movies. The N is not a typo
@heaven_sent, that’s unfortunate to hear, why didn’t her mama tell her to clear up her situation after she got married? Her husband can’t even file for her at this point, since she already has a criminal record. That sucks.
as far as Shyne, the US hasn’t really been his home. He came here as a young teenager & got locked up 10years later. He will be fine in Belize, he’s fortunate that his father is the prime minister & though formerly estranged, seems to be helping out his son. What about those people that get deported & then go straight to jail in their home countries for another 10 years for the crime of deportation?
@ KaraZ, now when you include ‘If he’s thinking he can make as much money in his particular genre without having a presence in the US’ I totally agree with you as an artist is better placed reaching out to and communicating to his core audience, which for the likes of Shyne and any US-based major Hip hop artist is primarily the US.
Speaking of Mandarin, I guess my grand kids will have little option but to learn i together with Brazilian Portugues and Hindi as the world’s economic axis is definitely shifting towards these 3 emerging economic superpowers.
I tip my hat to you for mentioning Nollywood. No typo, Nuff Respect!
PS: I guess somebody stalking you would be found hiding behind the shelves in the International movie section at your local library or video store, lol!
Any entertainer can be successful outside the United States, but most won’t reach extremely high levels of mainstream success without the US, especially those in Hip-Hop/Rap, Pop & psuedo R&B.
Good luck to your grand kids, I hope they get started early. I tried my hand at Mandarin for 2 years after college. It was too late for me, I finally gave it up and stuck to my French and smattering of Arabic.
If someone wants to stalk me, the best luck they’ll have at finding me is a few steps away from door S-1 at Hartsfield-Jackson scanning my passport.
Stay Smart Shyne. Stay Smart.