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Sean "Diddy" Combs is firing back at Shyne after his former artist repeatedly claimed he was the fall guy for the infamous 1999 nightclub shooting in New York City.
In the months leading up to the release of his new documentary, the rapper-turned-politician told media outlets that he was the "sacrificial lamb" in the aftermath of the incident at the now-defunct Club New York in Times Square. He recently claimed Combs is "the person that destroyed" his life and called his actions after the shooting "demonic." In a statement Diddy's attorneys provided to TMZ on Thursday, November 14, the Bad Boy Records founder denied Shyne's claims.
"Mr. Combs categorically denies Mr. Barrow’s allegations, including any suggestion that he orchestrated Mr. Barrow to 'take the fall' or 'sacrificed' him by directing witnesses to testify against him," Combs' rep said. "These claims are unequivocally false."
In a handful of interviews he did this past week, Shyne, also known as Moses Barrow, reiterated his claim that he took the fall for Combs after the shooting, which he talks about in his new documentary. In 2001, Barrow was convicted of two counts of assault and of reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of an illegal weapon following a seven-week trial. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Meanwhile, Combs and his bodyguard, who were Barrow's codefendants, were acquitted of all charges including gun possession and bribery. To this day, Barrow maintains he was set up to take the fall.
“I moved on and I healed,” he said on The Tamron Hall Show. “I didn’t see him shooting, but I know that he made me take the fall. I know that he called witnesses to testify against me. We sat here and I said, ‘Please, don’t call that witness. That witness is going to destroy me and the witness is lying.’ So I had to tell that truth.”
After serving nearly nine years of his sentence, Barrow was released from prison and deported to his home country of Belize. He eventually left the music industry and pursued a career in politics. In recent years, Shyne and Combs reunited on several occasions including a performance at the 2022 BET Awards. He told Tamron Hall that he didn't want to do the show with Combs but did it to honor hip-hop and his country. Despite Shyne's point of view on the situation, Combs maintains his innocence in that case and denounces any "demonic" allegations.
"Mr. Combs was acquitted of all charges related to the 1999 Club New York incident and has consistently maintained his innocence," Combs' rep said. "He cannot accept or condone any characterization of his actions as 'demonic' or 'malicious.'"
The Honorable Shyne arrives on Hulu on November 18. Watch Shyne's other interview with Stephen A. Smith below.