Shaquille O’Neal Enlightened by Rapper 2 Chainz on Kevin Durant’s Rapping Abilities

Hip-hop and NBA culture have been intertwined with one another for many years. Some of the biggest NBA superstars have taken their chances in the rap industry and at times quite successfully as well. During an appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s The Big Podcast, rapper 2 Chainz talked about some NBA players who can rap.

He revealed to Shaq that Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant has some nasty bars as well. The big fella seemed a little surprised by the revelation.

The 47-year-old rapper even shared that KD had recorded a bar for one of his albums. He said, 

“I mean a lot of hoopers that can rap. I think KD hard too, KD can rap. KD can rap. Actually, I’m gonna put this out, KD was on ColleGrove. We had a song with KD, me, and Wayne.”

“I don’t know what happened to it. We gotta find it… It’s not on there, but it’s hard,” the rapper added.

KD has mostly flown under the radar in the rap game as players like Damian Lillard and Miles Bridges have made most of the noise. That’s why Shaq didn’t know about his talents like many fans.

But 2 Chainz wasn’t the only artist to praise the two-time NBA Champion’s musical talent. Lil Wayne talked about Durant’s rapping as well and had nothing but praise for the Suns star.

He called KD a “Jewel” and a “Backpack rapper”, clearly lauding his natural flow. Wayne even spoke on KD’s unreleased song, saying that he was saving it for something special, probably another album. 

Durant has showcased his skills in the work that he has released so far. His NBA connections have helped to a certain extent, but the Suns’ star forward has made the best of it. In 2012, he released his single called The Formula, which had great wordplay but prompted mixed reviews. 

Since then, the NBA superstar has released several more songs, while picking up experience. KD even got to work alongside Drake on his album All The Dogs. He did A and R work for Drake, providing help with song selection and artistic development.

It will be interesting to see where Durant’s rap career goes from here. His song with Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz already has fans waiting for its release.