Shyne is the self-titled debut album by rapper Shyne. It was released by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs'Bad Boy Records on September 26, 2000.[1] Shyne had been hyped prior to the album's release as similar in style and delivery to the deceased Notorious B.I.G.. Shyne had also drawn unfavorable media attention for being convicted in June 2000 for his involvement in a nightclub shooting. Shyne was incarcerated at the time of this album's release. The album peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200. It sold very well, eventually achieving Platinum status.[2] It contained fewer guest artists than most Bad Boy releases. The singles from the album, "Bad Boyz," "Bonnie & Shyne" (which both feature Barrington Levy), and "That's Gangsta," were only moderate hits.
Rolling Stone (10/12/00, p. 89) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Like a 5-car pileup of luxury autos: a mix of beauty and destruction..."
Spin (12/00, pp. 218–9) - 6 out of 10 - "...Cops black gangster dreams straight from the pages of F.E.D.S....[its] strong producers...dress up his rhymes in frenetic electro beats, tweaked synths, and the old steel drum..."
Uncut (9/01, p. 102) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Thoughtful soulful declaimations delivered with a deep hued baritone, Shyne is the brightest new star in the Puff Daddy firmament..."
NME (11/11/00, p. 32) - 7 out of 10 - "...To uptempo and always creative commercial grooves, steeped in reggae bass sonics, an amoral and anti-social scenario of guiltless casual sex, bloody murders, drug transactions, betrayals and, especially, the code of the streets, gets played out..."
