Shaquille O’Neal is one of the great entertainers in the NBA world and his appearances as a DJ have merely been one of his many avatars.
Advertisement
TV pundit, actor, and DJ – Shaq is a one-man wrecking ball-turned entertainment factory. After bodying defenders in a legendary career, Dr. O’Neal went face-first into the entertainment industry and was a crowd-favorite before one knew it.
Apart from his successes as a pundit and a player, his music is what O’Neal will take pride in. Shaq is one of the few artists in the world who can claim to have had a platinum record, that too, with his first-ever release.
Also read: NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal to perform at US Grand Prix as DJ Diesel
With four studio albums and various tours on his resume, Shaq has quite the reputation as a performer. A platinum award-winning DJ can command millions for an appearance. But Shaq begs to differ from the crowd.
Does Shaquille O’Neal a.k.a DJ Diesel, perform for free, and why?
According to Big Diesel, he does not take any form of payment for his performances as DJ Diesel. “I’m doing it for the sport of bass music. I love seeing people jumping up and down, it’s like a game seven”.
Shaq believes that sport and music are the two avenues of life where people get to forget themselves. Giving the people what they want to take them away from negative thoughts and to see their excitement is currency enough for Shaq.
The big man has always been a champion of the people. To sacrifice paychecks, even one that’s worth $292 million from just this side gigs… that’s incredible.
Give the people what they want. Take the love they have. Shaq’s bound to be plenty rich in the loving department by now.
How has Shaquille O’Neal’s music career fared beyond his selflessness?
Shaq began his music career almost in parallel with his NBA career. After being drafted in 1992, Big Diesel began his DJ Diesel act and finished his first rap album in 1993.
O’Neal’s highlight feature arguably came with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson in 1995. Shaq was featured as a guest rapper in MJ’s HIStory album on the track “2 Bad”.
Shaq went on to make three subsequent albums in 1994, 1996, and 1998. O’Neal’s popularity got him friends in the right places and access to some incredibly talented people. A list of artists who have featured on Shaq’s albums includes -Biggie, Jay-Z, RZA, and Raekwon.
In total, Shaquille O’Neal has sold over 1,500,000 albums. Shaq’s albums have featured in the Top 500 albums in the USA and peaked at #181. To have one successful career is a big deal for most. To succeed in multiple fields makes Shaq quite the phenomenon.
Also read: Shaquille O’Neal has 4 NBA titles, $400 million net worth but has a big ‘Hollywood regret’
