Jay-Z, newly named president of Def Jam, recently visited Riker's Island to see Def Jam artist Shyne  who has expressed his unhappiness with the label and its handling of his career.

According to the New York Post, Jay-Z tried to convince Shyne, temporarily held at Riker's, to stay at the label, but to no avail.

Last year, Shyne made headlines when he signed a multimillion-dollar joint venture deal with Island Def Jam Records. Since then, clashes with IDJ boss Antonio "L.A." Reid over the amount of marketing and promotion IDJ did for his last album — Godfather Buried Alive — has caused Shyne to start proceedings to leave the label.

To make matters worse, a court invoked New York's "Son of Sam" Laws — which bar convicted felons from profiting from their crimes — and has barred Universal paying Shyne. His lawyers are fighting the temporary injunction.

Although Def Jam founder, Russell Simmons, is no longer with the label, that didn't stop him from lashing out last August against Reid in an open letter saying: "Will the new transition team at Def Jam see Shyne for the potential he has to become a Spiritual Prophet as he defines himself or will he be reduced to the thug that the street is racing to define him as?"

The Post reports Shyne wrote a handwritten letter to Reid, dated January 25 which said, "Unfortunately this partnership is not working . . . Please prove Russell Simmons wrong. Show that you are concerned about this culture and more important, the prophet that sits in a cage, Shyne!"

Despite the success of Reid nurtured acts such as Outkast, Shyne believes Reid is not committed to rap artists. 

Since joining IDJ last year, Reid's reign has been tumultuous, with several high-level executives leaving, including Jay-Z's predecessor Kevin Liles, who negotiated the Shyne deal before resigning.

Liles now works at Warner Music, along with Reid's predecessor, Lyor Cohen, currently CEO of Warner Music U.S.

If an exit can be worked out, other record companies — including Warner Music and Sony, are said to be interested in signing Shyne, who plans to drop his second album in April.

As of press time, it was unclear what further steps Jay-Z is prepared to take to retain Shyne, currently serving 10 years in an upstate prison for his role in a 1999 Manhattan nightclub shooting involving Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.