In a new interview Moses Michael Levi Barrow, better known as Shyne, revisited a surprising chapter of his life. The former Bad Boy rapper turned Belizean politician revealed he once dated R&B star Brandy, despite her being romantically involved with his labelmate Ma$e at the time.
Shyne’s reflections are tied to the Hulu documentary The Honorable Shyne, which explores his journey from hip-hop stardom to politics. DJ Clark Kent, a notable figure in the music industry, corroborates the story in the documentary. He recalls Shyne’s early days on Bad Boy Records and the internal tensions that arose from his bold pursuit of Brandy.
A Family Meeting and Diddy’s Disapproval of Shyne Dating Brandy
Shyne recounted how the situation escalated, prompting intervention from Sean “Diddy” Combs, the head of Bad Boy Records. “Ma$e was dating a girl, and I started dating the girl. That caused a big thing,” Shyne shared. The label held what he called a “family meeting” to address the issue.
“Diddy said, ‘Yo, what are you doing? You’re like Kobe coming to the Lakers and trying to go after Shaq’s joint. You can’t do that!’” Shyne explained. The rapper admitted his actions strained his relationship with Diddy, who believed he should be more focused on his music career.
Brandy’s Brutal Honesty
Despite the drama, Shyne continued seeing Brandy until a heated argument changed his perspective. “She’s selling millions of records. She had the biggest record that year,” Shyne said. During their fight, Brandy didn’t hold back, telling him, “Yo, you’re nobody. You ain’t sold one record. You think you’re styling, but you’re nothing.”
Shyne admitted the harsh words were a wake-up call. “It hit me like the hand of God. She was right. I wasn’t there to date R&B or pop divas—I was there to make hit records,” he said.
Ma$e and Brandy’s relationship reportedly lasted about nine months during her Never Say Never album era.