Defsounds

In an industry that seems to forget stars faster then they embrace them, Hip Hop is celebrating the pending release of former Bad Boy rapper Shyne. The star who was sentenced to ten years in prison for his role in a shoot out that occured in 1999 with Diddy's girlfriend at the time Jennifer Lopez, will be walking out of the facility that he has called prison and home for several years on his own accord today.

Before going to prison, Shyne was signed to Bad Boy records and was set to be the next big star to come from under Diddy's wing. Before Gorilla black, he was the first rapper to sound even remotely like Biggie. His voice gave hip hop fans feelings of nostalgia and drew them in, while his witty lyrics and tough demeanor attained the respect of the streets.

When he was first sentenced, Diddy was very vocal in saying that the sentencing was harsh and unfair, stating that he would support Shyne throughout his appeal process, but soon after those comments, there began to be rumblings that Diddy had offered no help or was becoming very evasive.

In a recent Interview with New York Radio station Hot 97, Diddy has acknowledged speaking to Shyne since the incident and say's that they are on good terms.

"It's a blessing that Shyne's coming home, I spoke to him like a couple of weeks ago and he sounded like he was in good spirits. I know he can't wait to get home. I know he is definitely going to heat the whole scene up. He was definitely one of talented young artists that I had the pleasure to work with. I'm quite sure he's been using his time wisely and has some heat."

Despite being incarcerrated Shyne has not been totally silent during his prison sentence, in 2004 he signed a deal with Def Jam for his own label Gang Land records, and released the album "Godfather Buried Alive", Which sold over 500,000 units.