Shyne‘s political career in Belize has hit a major roadblock, as the former rapper-turned-politician has officially lost his bid for re-election. The defeat came on Wednesday (March 12) during a press conference, marking the end of his tenure in the House of Representatives.
According to Channel 5 Belize, Shyne, né Moses Barrow, was unseated by fellow United Democratic Party (UDP) member and businessman Lee Mark Chang in a decisive vote. The loss ends Shyne’s time as the representative for the Mesopotamia constituency in Belize City, a position he first secured in 2020 before eventually rising to Leader of the Opposition and head of the Belize UDP.
Shyne secured 318 votes while Chang pulled in nearly double that at 601. Accepting the results with a composed yet sobering tone, Shyne acknowledged the democracy. “The people have spoken. Congratulations to Lee Mark Chang — he’s now the new area representative of Mesopotamia, and I wish him well,” he stated. “I was confident; that was the interaction I was having with the people, but they made a decision to go in another direction, and I respect that.”
With his defeat, Shyne is now planning to step down as leader of the UDP once a new party official is elected. “I certainly will resign effective once we have a national convention to elect a new leader,” he confirmed. “Obviously, you can’t be a leader of the United Democratic Party once you’re not a member of the House, and I would not want to be appointed as a senator or anything to hold on to the leadership.”
Reportedly, Chang had been openly critical of the 46-year-old throughout the election cycle, even going as far as to call him a “cancer” in government. “The people are realizing they have been bamboozled,” Chang reportedly declared on national television in Belize.
Shyne first rose to prominence in the late ‘90s as a rapper under Diddy’s Bad Boy Records. His ascent was cut short in 2001 when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for assault, gun possession, and reckless endangerment following a 1999 nightclub shooting in New York City that left two people injured. The incident, which also involved Diddy and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, became one of the most high-profile legal battles in Hip-Hop history.
After serving eight years behind bars, Shyne was released in 2009, but was immediately deported to Belize, where he pivoted from music to politics. His evolution from rapper to politician was chronicled in The Honorable: Shyne, a documentary that explores his journey from a troubled past to becoming Belize’s Leader of the Opposition. The film offered a rare glimpse into reinventing himself as it highlighted his efforts to shape the political landscape of his home country.
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