Shyne has launched a brand new scholarship in the hopes that he can send a Belizean student to study in America — and it’s named after his former label boss Diddy.
On Wednesday (November 9), the rapper turned politician took to Instagram to announce the Sean Diddy Combs Scholarship.
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“I am extremely happy to announce the SEAN DIDDY COMBS BELIZE FULL SCHOLARSHIP to HOWARD UNIVERSITY!” Shyne captioned a flyer promoting the scholarship. “Ensuring access to education for those young people who are financially challenged is the only way Belize will ever realize her full potential.”
He then went on to explain the idea behind the scholarship and why it’s named after Diddy.
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“Education has always been extremely important to my dear brother @diddy and I thus in that vein I asked Diddy to make Belize a part of his philanthropic support for his alma mater Howard University so that at least one Belizean Student can get the benefit of attending one of the United States most prestigious HBC Universities,” he wrote. “I thank Diddy for always supporting my efforts to help Belize in every way possible.”
See what you need to do to be able to qualify for the scholarship below:
Shyne and Diddy have had a long and complicated relationship that dates back to the late ’90s, but the pair have since put their differences to one side and made amends.
In 1999, Shyne, Diddy and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez attended a Manhattan nightclub where a shooting took place. Shyne, just 20 at the time, was forced to make the rash decision to either defend himself and his friends or risk getting shot by alleged instigator Matthew “Scar” Allen. So, he pulled the trigger.
While no one was killed, three people were injured, and Shyne was ultimately charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment. But Diddy, who was also arrested that night, was acquitted of all charges and their friendship was never the same. In fact, Shyne severed all ties with Diddy and Bad Boy Records.
For nearly 10 years, Shyne sat behind the bars of Clinton Correctional Facility. In 2009, he was released from prison and into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. He was then sent back to Belize where he continued fighting for U.S. citizenship.
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Shyne (who changed his name to Moses Michael Levi Barrow in 2006) was elected to the Belizean House of Representatives at the 2020 general election, which Diddy endorsed him for. Shyne became Leader of the Opposition in 2022.
Nearly 10 years after being deported to his home country of Belize, Shyne was welcomed back to the United States in 2021 — and Diddy played a role in that too.
In June this year, Shyne joined Diddy — among a number of other friends and former Bad Boy artists — at the 2022 BET Awards as a special guest performer as his former boss was honored with the BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
