In 1993, when Shaquille O’Neal released his debut rap album ‘Shaq Diesel’, many fans were enchanted by his smooth flow. They learned that the Diesel is not only a dominant force on the basketball floor, but is also a master of rhythm and words. But who knew that Shaq’s spell had a deep impact on his 2006 NBA Finals rival, Dirk Nowitzki? In fact, as it turns out, the German legend can rap Shaq Diesel’s entire verses without skipping a beat.
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Nowitzki recently joined Shaq on The Big Podcast and impressed the big man with his bars. The Dallas Mavericks legend claimed that he might be the sole person who used to listen to Shaq’s first verses back in the day because of his love for the Orlando Magic.
To bring his point home, the 2011 NBA Champion performed a verse from Shaq Diesel’s #11 track ‘What’s Up Doc? (Can we Rock) featuring Fu-Schnickens’. Mimicking Shaq’s deep voice, Nowitzki went crazy,
“I’m the hooper, the hyper. Protected by Viper, When I rock the hoop yo, you’d better decipher. In other words you’d better make some funky decision, ’cause I’m a be a Shaq knife, and cut you with precision…”
Dirk Nowitzki:
"I might be the only guy that listened to Shaq's rap."Shaquille O'Neal:
"Go ahead Dirk."Nowitzki:
"🎤I'm the hooper, hyper, protected by Viper🎤"Dirk remembers the whole of Shaq's verse in 'What's up Doc' 😁
(via @bigpodwithshaq) pic.twitter.com/kDY0gZ3AqP
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 8, 2024
Shaq was in stitches after listening to Nowitzki’s delivery and then joined in the fun. The duo continued,
“Forget Tony Danza, I’m the boss. When it comes to money, I’m like Dick Butkas…. Peace, I gotta go, I ain’t no joke. Now I slam it, jam it, and make sure it’s broke.”
Nowitzki’s performance became an instant classic on The Big Podcast, which has had its fair share of memorable moments. The 14x All-Star’s fandom of Shaq Diesel reflects the profound impact O’Neal’s debut album had among fans of basketball and hip-and-hop.
Shaq Diesel left a deep legacy
On October 26, 1993, Jive Records dropped Shaq Diesel, which peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200. Within five months of its release, the album bagged platinum status, implying the sale of more than a million copies.
While Shaq loved the prospect of making rap music and meeting legends such as Biggie Smalls and NAS, the remuneration from his maiden album left him high-and-dry. He felt that the effort wasn’t worth it as he was already earning millions in the NBA.
Thus, he started to have more fun with his albums rather than seeking them as a money-making venture. The Big Aristotle released three more albums in the 1990s, but none of them even got close to the success of Shaq Diesel.
DJ Diesel’s electronic music track mixing has also garnered millions of fans and he has proven again that he can nail any field. However, we still get to enjoy Shaq’s diss tracks as he routinely drops one to silence those who challenge his views on basketball.
