Buju ‘shynes’ in Belize
Grammy Award-winning reggae artiste Buju Banton paid a visit to rapper-turned-Opposition leader in Belize Shyne Barrow last Tuesday.
It is uncertain what the nature of the visit was, but the Belizean politician hinted that it might be a personal reason in an Instagram post made that day.
“It is such a pleasure to receive a personal visit in BELIZE from my brother @bujubanton,” Barrow wrote under a photo of them both smiling in front of a private jet for his 338,000 Instagram followers to see.
Besides hailing from the Caribbean, both Shyne and Buju also have something else in common — their criminal convictions. Shyne served nearly a decade-long sentence in a United States prison for the part he played in a 1999 club shooting. He was subsequently deported back to Belize. Since his return to his home country, Shyne was appointed the country’s ambassador of music charged with the sustainable development of the music industry in Belize and has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop it.
He was also elected to the Belizean House of Representatives at the 2020 General Election.
Meanwhile, Buju Banton spent the same amount of time in prison for possession of cocaine, before being released in 2018.
Luckily for Shyne, who is known for tracks such as Bad Boyz and Bonnie & Shyne, he was granted back his US visa last August, with the help of his former CEO and co-defendant in the Club New York shooting, Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Buju is still without a visa, and this sentiment was reiterated by his long-time Manager Donovan Germain during a previous interview with the Jamaica Observer.
“If he had gotten back his visa, you would all know. Did you see Buju, or Buju Banton being advertised? Those are two different people. As far as I know, he has not gotten back his visa,” he continued.