Lines acknowledge God and reveal a soft spot for mothers.
This disc is loaded with drug use, obscenities, sexual perversion, gangsta violence and contempt for the law. More specifically, the rapper boasts about blowing rivals’ brains out (“Godfather,” “Shyne”) and cutting off their genitals (“For the Record”). He also machine-guns listeners with the f-word and other abusive language. Using and dealing cocaine is a recurring theme. Lyrics include “I’m a snort away from an overdose/A couple of drug deals from death and too far from hope” (“Quasi O.G.”) and “Sniff some blow and I’m good to go” (“The Gang”). Shyne is serving a 10-year sentence for his involvement in the 1999 nightclub shooting that saw P. Diddy and his date J. Lo walk away unscathed. Shyne believes he was the fall guy and often alludes to the fact that he can’t get any justice. Crass anatomical slang, misogyny, oral sex and a reference to topless women further cloud this effort.
In a genre that places a premium on street cred, it was just a matter of time until someone recorded their raps from prison. Jamal Barrow (aka Shyne) is the first. It cost him his phone privileges but paid off by upping his “integrity” as an urban folk hero and gangsta martyr. Godfather Buried Alive makes teens an offer they must refuse.
