07. Shyne

Moses Michael Levi^[2] (born Jamal Michael Barrow, 8 November 1979),^[3] better known by his stage name Shyne, is a Belizean rapper. He moved to New York as a child to join his mother and started his career there. His father is attorney and politician Dean Barrow, Prime Minister of Belize since 2008.

The boy and his mother lived in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East Flatbush, where Shyne became a musician and rapper. He is perhaps best known for his work with Bad Boy Records. On the verge of his debut album, he was involved in a 1999 shooting incident; he was convicted of assault and served nine years in prison. His album in 2000 was still a success, and he continued to record in prison.

During this period Shyne studied Judaism with rabbis, and later converted to Orthodox Judaism, officially changing his name to Moses Michael Levi. After being released from prison in 2009, Barrow was deported to Belize as a non-citizen felon. He has since performed in Jerusalem and Ukraine, and released more albums. He also has started a clothing line.