Shyne: Def Jam’s Dilemma

Not many things make you feel better in life than a success story. You see a person suffer through the lowest of lows only to scratch and claw their way back to the pinnacle of their profession. It's a great sight and even better feeling. Moses Michael Levy, better known as "Shyne," has the chance to be one of those stories. Po's story is something we're all familiar with. A budding rap career cut short due to a shooting incident late last decade. Eventually to spend damn near a decade in the clink only to find out you're not even allowed in America. Unpredictable is an understatement.

News of Shyne's return to Def Jam has since been announced and we even were afforded his first musical offering as a free man on DJ Khaled's "All My Life" also featuring Mavado. The record garnered more criticism than acclaim with the biggest knock being Shyne's verse. With over eight years to sit and wait, it's safe to say everyone had their own image of Shyne's first song out the box. This probably wasn't it. His verse was close to inaudible and the overall feel of the song didn't connect with many listeners. Sorry Khalid this wasn't the best.

You see, this is where the A&R elite at the house Russell built have to earn their paychecks. With the black eye that was the marketing for his 2004 effort, Godfather Buried Alive,still somewhat fresh on everyone's mind, planning Shyne's course of attack over these next few months is critical. Have some strategically planned features, media runs and projects lined up. An official mixtape to build hype for the album maybe? Whatever it is those A&R's draw up, something has to be done (if it hasn't already).

A few good decisions mixed with a few good songs and the former Bad Boy could very well find himself in the mix once more. For a guy who has paid his debt to society, hopefully his future moves yield positive results. But a year from now when we're looking at Shyne's return in retrospect, it ultimately boils down to those two key words: GOOD. DECISIONS.