Shaquille O'Neal - How An NBA Rookie of The Year Became a Platinum Certified Hip-hop Rapper

Shaquille O'Neal is a name very few would fail to recognize. His caliber inside the basketball court is almost unmatched, and his legacy is untouchable. Known mostly for his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won three NBA championship titles out of the four in his career, Shaq is also a rapper extraordinaire, with a pretty impressive discography to his name.

Shaquille O'Neal’s road to becoming a rap genius

In the early 90s, Shaq's career as an NBA player was just beginning. He joined the Orlando Magic in 1992 as the overall first pick of the year and went on to win the Rookie of the Year title that season. But alongside his NBA career, he also had other aspirations. In 1992, he performed as Shaq Diesel with the Fu-Schnickens, his favorite rap group. And that was the beginning of a journey that would turn him into a platinum-certified rapper. Speaking on the recent episode of Wynn Las Vegas, Shaq said:


Jive Records offered him a $10 million deal for three albums. And according to him, that's how he has the “best discography ever” for a non-rapper.


“Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Snoop, Ice Cube, Notorious B.I.G. Jay Z, Nas, Fat Joe, Big Pun, Peter Gunz, Lord Tariq, Fu-Schnickens, RZA, Method Man, Redman, Eric Sermon. It don’t get no bigger. And the fact that I can go in the studio with those guys, I won.”


And we cannot argue, the names speak for themselves. From Michael Jackson to Jay Z to Snoop Dogg to Ice Cube, he joined forces with the who's who of the music industry and delivered some of the best tracks of the 90s hip-hop scene. And to the delight of many, the album, titled Shaq Diesel after his stage name, went platinum.


Shaq almost hesitated before saying yes to the deal


While the deal was too sweet to pass up, at one point, Shaq did hesitate. When his agent told him about the offer from Jive Records, after a moment of joy, and things settled down a little, there were a few things to think about for the four-time NBA champion Remembering the time, he said:


“I was like, ‘I gotta take it.’ But then reality kicked in.”


There was one thing he knew he wanted out of that deal, and Shaq made that clear from the very beginning. He added:


“I said as long as I could rap with all my favorite rappers, I do it. And they agreed.”


And that's how we have tracks like (I Know I Got) Skillz and I’m Outstanding. Now, along with being a rapper, the former NBA player is also a prominent DJ. And he added another album in 2023 to his discography after a hiatus of more than two decades.


Also Read: Kobe Bryant's Legacy vs. Shaquille O’Neal’s Empire: Net Worth of Lakers Legends