And while Shyne gets the fame and perhaps a nice political dividend, the man soaking it all up is "Stig Da Artist". Just like Shyne was Diddy's protege - Stig is now under Shyne's wing. He and his manager Ritchie Galvez were in Los Angeles all week with Shyne, at rehearsals, at Diddy's mansion…all over…and soaking it all up.
He's still in Los Angeles and we spoke to him today via Zoom about what the immersion in the A-list world has been like:
Jules Vasquez
"What's the experience been like for you?"
Stig Da Artist
"I'm at lost for words, a man with many words, I'm at lost for words. Not to sound cliche but this is a dream come through being around people that inspired me to do music on a whole. A lot of people might have a lot to say, but for me personally I am grateful that I am even the same space with these people and could have conversations with these people and network with them and actual network and not just pictures."
Jules Vaquez
"Have you been able to capitalize on that?"
Stig Da Artist
"Not everybody I took pictures will say oh let us do a collab, it's not how the thing is set, one step at a time. However, I've linked up with a lot of people from record labels, personal numbers I have for some of these people who are interested, big producers and even some of the artist them - because I saw them over a period of time, not just one event - knows me by my name, so I talk about big artists, when they see me at other events. It's just me personally needs to follow up on those stuff. Its me need to make the best music I can possibly make and reach out to these people, because nobody will just hand you these stuff because you are Shyne artist the opportunity. I don't really care about the hype, I care about the real life possibilities so I know I have to go back to Belize. I have to go back to my regular life working hard and to me that is exciting. I want to see what I will do when I go back in the studio. I want to know what I will sound like, I want to know what will come to my brain to sing about, so I am super excite to go back and go work to send back demos for these people and try to get some collabs or try to see of somebody would want to sign me."
And we also asked Stig what that moment was like when the Belizean flag was unfurled as Shyne hit the stage. Though he had seen it many times before in rehearsals all week long, he told us what it felt like inside the Microsoft Theater when it happened live before a global audience:
Stig Da Artist
"When you see that Belizean flag dropped, because we done know it would happen, Belize gwine crazy and they will put politics aside, they will put all the hate or whatever they have aside and we will celebrate as a country. Every Belizean want Belize on the world stage, whether it be sports, music, tourism, the beaches - everything and that is basically what happened last night. I can vouched for this: everybody who Shyne meets, it could be a waitress - visit Belize. That man genuinely is trying his best to push Belize and I am adapting it, so everybody I meet out here - when are you going to come to Belize, big artist I meet out there and that's how the conversation starts. So that was the mission I feel like we execute at the best."
