Shaquille O’Neal is an extremely talented individual. His basketball skills and business acumen aside, Shaq was and still is an incredible rapper. He even signed a $10,000,000 contract three decades ago that saw him churn out three amazing albums. One of which, featured the iconic song, “You Can’t Stop the Reign”. A song that featured the late great Notorious B.I.G., and has now been remade by rapper Z-Ro with the title “Stop the Reign”. And, as can be seen in the music video, it even features Big Diesel himself.
Advertisement
Shaq had a short-lived career in the rap game. And, although it did not last long it was nothing short of exceptional. Having released four albums in the span of six years, O’Neal has both a platinum and gold album to his name. Compare his rap career to some of the other NBA players who tried their hand at the art form, and there can be no denying Shaq’s supremacy.
Shaquille O’Neal features in song by Z-Ro paying homage to his iconic tune “You Can’t Stop the Reign”
In 1996, Shaquille O’Neal released the third album of his $10,000,000 four-album deal. Titled, “You Can’t Stop the Reign,” It was an incredible album, that featured some of the rap game’s biggest names. Jay-Z, Lord Tariq, Rakim, and many more jumped on a song or two with Shaq.
However, the most iconic song from the album was undoubtedly “You Can’t Stop the Reign”. The album’s namesake, featuring The Notorious B.I.G remains popular to this day. Additionally, it has now been remade by rapper Z-Ro. The 46-year-old, Houston-born rapper is a sensational talent and has been spitting bars for close to 25 years. He was even named one of America’s most underrated rappers in 2007.
The new song titled “Stop the Reign” pays homage to the classic tune, and even features Shaq, making it an instant hit. It also marked the first time in quite a while that The Big Aristotle has featured in a rap song. And, from start to finish it is a complete “banger”.
What’s more, this is now a nice feather in the cap that is Shaq’s rap career. A career that is iconic in and of itself, and something that will be forever tied to his legacy.
Shaq had one of the most iconic rap careers of any athlete
In his 51 years on planet Earth, Shaquille O’Neal has done some incredible things. With four NBA Championships and a $400 million empire to his name, Shaq is one of the most successful athletes to come through the NBA. But, that’s not all, O’Neal has also found much success in the music industry.
Prior to his work as DJ Diesel, Shaq was an incredible rapper. In 1993, he signed a $10,000,000 deal with Jive Records to release four albums. Over the course of six years, he released Shaq Diesel, Shaq Fu: Da Return, You Can’t Stop the Reign, and Respect. However, his success didn’t just end there. His first two albums even received platinum and gold certifications respectively.
Fun Fact: Shaq is the only professional athlete to earn a platinum album. He has one platinum album, one gold album, two gold singles and songs with Michael Jackson, JAY-Z, Nas, Biggie, Method Man, Ice Cube, & more. pic.twitter.com/3VGzaMyiD8
— Rap Alert (@rapalert6) June 9, 2022
It almost feels like there is nothing he cannot do. When all is said and done, Shaq will go down in history not just as one of the greatest athletes, but as one of the greatest personalities of all time.