Shyne Puts Def Jam On Blast In Open Letter, "Middle Fingers To You"

Deported Belizean rapper Shyne has put record label Def Jam on blast.

Shyne penned an open letter discussing his frustrations with Def Jam and displeasure in the company’s treatment of artists. In his letter, Shyne also calls out Island Def Jam CEO L.A. Reid.

“Def Jam is dying…. Thanks L.A. Reid! Middle fingers to you too!!! Antonio L.A. Reid, quite frankly, doesn’t give a curse word about Hip-Hop!!! He doesn’t get it. He fails to comprehend the holy institution that is Def Jam. How a Jewish guy named Rick & an African [American] guy from Hollis queens by the name of Russell [set] the foundation for a billion dollar industry from an NYU dorm is beyond him….it offends chairman Reid that these hoodlums & criminals call themselves musicians…whatever happened to the days of Shalimar and “Tender Lover”… F**king rappers!!! Mr. Reid doesn’t understand that Nas & Ghostface Killer are modern day prophets…The Roots are Mozart, Shyne is Moses & Kanye is Van Gogh…How else do you make the colossal mistake of not keeping arguably the most influential rapper/rocker (Hovito) around.” (All Hip Hop)

Last week Urban Islandz told you that another rapper Nas also penned a letter to Def Jam.

“I won’t even tap dance around in an email, I will get right into it. People connect to the artist @ the end of the day, they don’t connect with the executives. Honestly, nobody even cares what label puts out a great record, they care about who recorded it. Yet time and time again its the executives who always stand in the way of a creative artist’s dream and aspirations. You don’t help draw the truth from my deepest and most inner soul, you don’t even do a great job @ selling it. The #1 problem with DEF JAM is pretty simple and obvious, the executives think they are the stars. You aren’t…. not even close. As a matter of fact, you wish you were, but it didn’t work out so you took a desk job. To the consumer, I COME FIRST. Stop trying to deprive them! I have a fan base that dies for my music and a RAP label that doesn’t understand RAP. Pretty f*cked up situation.”