Jailed rapper Shyne, who signed a $3 million record deal with Island Def Jam in prison, won’t see any money until a lawsuit against him is resolved.
Justice Michael Garson of Brooklyn has frozen the funds, citing the “Son of Sam” law barring convicts from profiting from their crimes. The money, including a $500,000 advance, will be held in escrow pending the outcome of the civil lawsuit brought by two bystanders wounded in a 1999 shooting at a Manhattan nightclub.
The ruling, issued March 16, found that the funds should “be preserved for payment of any judgment received by the plaintiffs.” Shyne’s Gangland/Def Jam debut, “Godfather Buried Alive,” debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 in August 2004 and has sold 433,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Shyne, a former protege of Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, has been behind bars since 2001 for the shooting that involved his former mentor and Combs’ then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. Combs was also charged in the case but was acquitted. Three bystanders were wounded.
The rapper, whose real name is Jamal Barrow, is being held at a correctional facility in a remote area near the New York-Canada border.
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