On August 6, 1992, Shaquille O’Neal signed a then record-breaking four-year, $17.4 million rookie deal with the Orlando Magic. He was going to get paid $3 million in his first season from 1992 to 1993. Therefore, when his debut album Shaq Diesel sold more than a million copies, the big man expected a check that was at least in the six figures. But his paycheck amounted to $60,000 despite the album going platinum, which made no sense to the budding NBA superstar.
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In his 2011 memoir, Shaq Uncut, the big fella opened up about his disappointment after receiving what he called “chump change” for Shaq Diesel. The Orlando Magic Center noted that if the record labels are willing to invest a ton of money, then they also know how to make up for their spending. Therefore, the first word he learned in the music industry was “recouping”.
“When we did the first record they wanted to do everything for me—the mixes, the lyrics. We had to record in their studios. Before you get any money for your record, they have to “recoup” all the money for the studio,” noted a disillusioned Shaq in his 2011 memoir.
When he received the check after his debut album went platinum, the Center was expecting a bounty as compensation. However, the record label had taken the majority of the profits of the album sales because of which O’Neal felt fleeced.
“By the time everyone took their cut, I had a check for sixty thousand dollars left. My album went platinum, but all I got was chump change,” reflected Shaq.
His debut album’s paycheck drove Shaq to pursue rap as a hobby rather than one of his big money-making endeavors. Although he was disappointed by the pay, the experience of being with people at the top of the rap game made for a memorable period.
Shaquille O’Neal was blessed with the company of top hip-hop artists
In 2023, Shaq appeared on The Sporting Tribune pod, where he told host Adrian Hernandez how the earnings from his rap album underwhelmed him, making him shift his attention to the experience he had with top rappers. Alluding to his paycheck from his platinum album, the big fella stated, “No disrespect to the art form or the rapper, I am very proud of them, but that check did nothing for me my brother.”
Then he touched upon how the monetary value is nothing when compared to jamming with his favorite artists growing up, such as Biggie, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z. Shaq continued, “I was like, for real? This is it? I am going to appreciate the moments. Coz the Notorious B.I.G.? No check amounts to that. Five Dog? No check will amount to that.”
After he had attained success with Shaq Diesel, top artists were flocking to work with him. However, all of them except Biggie and Jay-Z wanted at least $200,000 for collaboration. These two rappers admired O’Neal’s work and found him fit for the art which made them work for free.
Thanks to his experience with these two brilliant artists, the big fella was glad for his rapping career. Therefore, the pain of not receiving adequate compensation was overshadowed by his collaborations with top names in the rapping industry.
