Godfather Buried Alive is the second and final studio album by Belizean-AmericanrapperShyne. It was released on August 10, 2004 by Gangland Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was released during Shyne's 10-year prison sentence for a 1999 nightclub shooting in New York City. The album included 13 tracks, 12 of which were previously recorded vocals, while one was recorded over the phone from jail. It features guest appearances from Kurupt, Nate Dogg, Foxy Brown and Ashanti, and production from Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Mike Dean and Just Blaze, among others. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with 158,000 copies sold in its first week, making Shyne the second rapper after 2Pac to have an album debut within the top five of the Billboard 200 while incarcerated.
After the release of his debut album in September 2000, Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June 2001 and released from his contract with Bad Boy Entertainment.[9] A bidding war ensued, with numerous labels meeting with Shyne in prison and offering him contracts. Shyne eventually signed a $3 million contract with Def Jam Records, and plans were made to release his second studio album. Due to the fact Shyne was unable to professionally record new music while in prison, the album was largely composed of music he had recorded prior to his incarceration. Certain lines, however, were recorded over a prison phone. The only song fully recorded from prison was "For the Record", a diss track recorded over the phone and made in response to 50 Cent dissing Shyne on Hot 97 during a freestyle.[10][11]
