Leader of Opposition’s journey from rapper to politician

Published by BBNTEAM at November 9, 2024

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Posted: Saturday, November 9, 2024. 11:01 am CST.

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: Moses Michael Levi “Shyne” Barrow, once a rising star in the rap world and protégé of Sean “Diddy” Combs, has made an unexpected transition from the streets of Brooklyn to the halls of the National Assembly.

In the new Hulu documentary, The Honorable Shyne, Barrow recounts his tumultuous journey, from his involvement in a 1999 club shooting that landed him in U.S. prison, to his later reinvention as the Leader of the Opposition.

After his release in 2009 and subsequent deportation to Belize, he distanced himself from his rap career and turned to politics, following in the footsteps of his father, former Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

In the documentary, Barrow reflects on the difficult lessons of his past, including his years in prison. “The entire process was devastating. 10 hours of incarceration is 10 hours too much,” he says, speaking candidly about the toll of his time behind bars.

Despite the hardships, Barrow has emerged as a strong advocate for social change, using his platform to empower Belize’s youth.

“The work that I do is helping people. If you go back to my rap that started off the documentary, the way that I was able to remake it is the epitome of my life now because as 18-year-old Shyne, I was crying out to the system to save me. That’s what I said, ‘Dear America / I’m only what you made me / Please save me.’ I didn’t want to sell drugs. I didn’t want to kill people,” Barrow said to the Hollywood reporter.

“I went from what I didn’t want to do to what I wanted to do: Tell a story of the indomitable souls of human beings that, no matter what we face, no matter how difficult life could be, we all have within us the ability to persevere,” he explains.

Now, as the leader of the opposition in Belize, Barrow is focused on reforming the political system.

“Now I’m the change agent. Nothing inspires me more than that,” he says, expressing his commitment to creating the system he once rapped about in his youth.

The documentary, The Honorable Shyne, premieres on Hulu on November 18.

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