(Photo: UPI/Debbie Hill/Landov)

By Dan Reagans

Getting a second chance at making a good impression is rare, but it just might be time for the U.S. government to allow deported Brooklyn MC Shyne a.k.a. Moses Levi a chance to do so. After serving almost 10 years in prison for a 1999 NY club shooting, it’s been no secret that the Belize-born rapper has struggled immensely trying to reclaim the celebrity and immigration status he once held prior to his ordeal.

When Shyne Poe was released from prison in 2009 he clearly struggled to regain his lyrical form. While his content was a mix of conscious speak and gangster, his flow was more deliberate and off-key. Today, a leaked snippet from his new “Meyer Lansky” duet with G.O.O.D. repper Pusha- T showed Shyne in his old form. Donned in a black leather jacket, black snapback hat and posted up in front of a black Maybach, the former Bad Boy rapper shedded his usual Orthodox Jew attire as he rhymed a freestyle of his verse from “Meyer Lansky.” The small sample size of the old Shyne Poe reinforces the need for the rapper’s physical presences in the states.

Reaching his full potential as an artist is a feat that has eluded Shyne throughout his career. From the moment he burst on the music scene in 1997, with the booming baritone voice that reminded us all of the departed Notorious B.I.G., Shyne has been striving to carve his name in the annuals of the hip hop greats. He went from hearing the insistent Biggie comparisons to having a jury convict him of assault that sent him to prison for a decade. Now the once-sought-after rapper, who sparked a multi-million dollar bidding war for his services, is basically trying to rebuild a once-promising career from exile. The U.S. government refused to let Shyne back into the country following his release, instead departing him to his native Belize, and making his attempt to reclaim rap fame an arduous long distance task.

Although the advances of social media have helped push the genre forward, capturing and re-establishing a fan base without the means of touring and doing showcases in the U.S. is almost impossible. Though second chances may be a rarity, it’s high time the government lifted the immigration restraint on the former Bad Boy star and give him a second chance to make good on all that promise we once saw.

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