Since March 22nd, 2024, rap beef has been a recurring topic on The Big Podcast. Shaquille O’Neal‘s interest in this ongoing beef between Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J Cole, seems to stem from his fascination with creating a fake feud that ends up benefitting all parties. Recently, the big fella had DaBaby on his podcast, where he asked the North Carolina rapper if he’d be interested in a fake beef with a fellow rapper if a lot of money were involved.
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Even though DaBaby was adamant initially about not jumping on a track to diss someone if he doesn’t have some deep personal issue with him, Shaq knows how to get what he wants. The four-time NBA Champion said, “Alright, so, Shaq record offers you $20 million each?” Without wasting a breath, Baby Jesus said, “Oh, we’re doing it.” Maybe it was the $20 million that caused DaBaby to look beyond his values in the competitive sport of hip-hop, because the 32-year-old also revealed on the show that he had turned down a similar offer only weeks ago.
DaBaby said that days after Kendrick shook the world with his verse on ‘Like That’ and J Cole responded to him with ‘7 Minute Drill’, a “lyrical” rapper approached him with a fake beef idea. Without disclosing the name, the Bop rapper recalled, “He said, ‘Man, the back and forth between J Cole and Kendrick got me fired up. Bro, I feel like we should diss each other.'” DaBaby said that even though he understood the rapper’s intentions behind the proposal, he wasn’t willing to diss another rapper simply for relevance and clout.
According to DaBaby, he will only diss another artist if he feels some type of way about them. In hip-hop, a rapper’s credibility is considered to be their greatest asset and throughout history, we’ve never witnessed the great ones put everything on the line for temporary fame. So, it’s understandable why DaBaby passed on the opportunity of a fake beef with someone he respects. The formula that’s stuck in Shaq’s brain works best in WWE, and the big fella had a heartbreaking tale to tell on the podcast involving two of his favorite wrestlers.
Shaquille O’Neal’s take on fake beef
The big fella is a showman. For him, putting on a spectacle for the fans is what really matters. We have seen traces of it in his NBA career, his role as an analyst, and in his DJ gigs. For that reason, Shaq is not completely against the idea of beefing with someone for the sake of clicks and entertainment. However, there used to be a time when Shaq took these things very seriously and even ended up having a minor heartbreak because of his deep-rooted interest in manufactured feuds.
Shaq said, “I came up with the theory because when I was a youngster. I always thought Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant really hated each other. So, when I got drafted to Orlando Magic, they’re doing something in the arena and we’re doing like this dinner in my house and those two walked in together, bro.”
Shaq said that he was very disappointed seeing them laughing together and having a great time, because he really believed until that point that WWE rivalries were a real thing. The big fella even confronted the two legends only to hear, “Man, it ain’t real.” Since then, the idea is so well planted in his brain that he is now actively looking to ignite a fake rap beef for entertainment.
