Def Jam Drops Shyne, Says "Watch The Throne" Producer

Brooklyn rapper Shyne has reportedly been dropped from Def Jam Records after releasing his Godfather Buried Alive album in 2004 and being primed to put out another solo project through the label.

According to Watch the Throne and Godfather Buried Alive producer Ken Lewis, Shyne and Def Jam have parted ways.

"Well, I mixed 18 songs for the upcoming album and produced two, but he got dropped from Def Jam [Records], and I haven't heard from him since," Lewis said in an interview. "That may not be common knowledge. [Laughs] That might get me in trouble. His release date was splattered as May 17 all over the world, but the day came and went, and I never heard from Shyne again. I don't really know what happened to him, I just know that as far as I'm concerned, I'm not a part of that record anymore." (Hip Hop DX)

Last year, Shyne talked to SOHH about his issues with Def Jam and the label's former CEO L.A. Reid.

"I'm definitely trying to get with Cash Money but the Def Jam thing is a question mark right now," Shyne told SOHH. "I've been fixing to get up out of there for a while now because [Island Def Jam CEO] L.A. Reid don't care about hip-hop. The people up there, they don't know what they're doing. When you don't have a strong leader, where you gonna go? ... They don't care about hip-hop music. You give them a hip-hop record with an R&B singer, you "might" have a chance. They don't care. You got The Roots, Ghostface, Nas, probably the best hip-hop roster you could imagine and they do nothing. L.A. Reid doesn't want nothing to do with rappers -- it's nothing personal, I don't have nothing personal with dude but he makes it known he doesn't care about hip-hop. So I'm really interested in seeing who's gonna replace him. Because I know he's been replaced -- so I wanna find out who's gonna take his spot before I decide what I'm gonna do with Def Jam...The music that we make is responsible for pop, R&B, everything that's jumping right now..." (SOHH)

Following his remarks, Shyne later penned an apology letter to L.A. Reid.

"I was wrong about my assessment of Chairman Reid. After I stopped being all Carl Thomas emotional and things like that, I thought about the facts. Fact is L.A Reid was there when I was locked, a few feet away from death row and the Black Panthers. L.A. was on the visit floor on Rikers Island looking at me through them blinding bars, showing me he believed in that gang boy revolutionary music I make. A bond forged at the nadir of suffering [that's] unbreakable. That's why I chose L.A. Reid over all the other distributors. We already went through it. I'll never forget what L.A. did for me behind that b-wall. Caged like an animal, stripped of all my rights; he gave me freedom-- freedom to follow my vision. Freedom to make my momma smile after so many tears and sleepless nights weeping for her baby boy like Rachel the matriarch weeps for the Israelites." (XXL Mag)

In February 2010, Reid traveled to Belize and officially announced a new partnership with Shyne.

"I have come here to stand by Shyne and to officially kick off our partnership with Island Def Jam Music Group and Gangland Records and so it is really an honour to be here, really very special place. I am here because great people are worthy of travelling many many miles for it and I come here to say that your country is great and I hope you guys know that this is a great man from your country who deserves this kind of respect and who deserves this kind of support. So that is why we are here." (7 News Belize)