*Shyne, the former rapper-turned-politician, has lost his bid for re-election in Belize.
The ex-Bad Boy artist, whose real name is Moses Barrow, was defeated by businessman Lee Mark Chang in the general election, according to Channel 5 Belize. Shyne represented the Mesopotamia constituency in Belize City since 2020 and eventually became both the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives and the head of the United Democratic Party (UDP). However, in this election, he garnered only 318 votes compared to Chang’s 601.
“The people have spoken. Congratulations to Lee Mark Chang—he’s now the new area representative of Mesopotamia, and I wish him well,” Shyne stated following the results. “I was confident; that was the interaction I was having with the people, but they made a decision to go in another direction, and I respect that.”
With his defeat, Shyne announced that he would step down as UDP leader once a new official was chosen.
“I certainly will resign effective once we have a national convention to elect a new leader,” he said. “Obviously, you can’t be a leader of the United Democratic Party once you’re not a member of the House, and I would not want to be appointed as a senator or anything to hold on to the leadership.”
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Chang had been vocal in his criticism of Shyne during the campaign, reportedly calling him a “cancer” in the government.
“The people are realizing they have been bamboozled,” he allegedly said on national television, per Billboard.
Before entering politics, Shyne gained fame as a rapper under Diddy’s Bad Boy Records but was sentenced to prison for his involvement in a 1999 nightclub shooting. After serving eight years, he was deported to Belize, where he later pursued a career in government.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Funk Flex Blasts Shyne of Lying About Diddy Nightclub Shooting
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