Apart from a humungous NBA legacy, Shaquille O’Neal also has every right to call himself a successful rapper. Back in 1993, Shaq released his first album, “Shaq Diesel.” Recently, in an interview with The Sporting Tribune, O’Neal explained how he approached the idea of success, when it came to being a rapper. After getting a $10,000,000 cheque for his first album, Shaq was not satisfied, and was forced to change his mindset.
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Rather than looking for monetary success, O’Neal claimed that he began rapping because of the memories he made along the way. Talking about the success of his first album, Shaq claimed that he was left with a feeling of discontent, and could not believe that “this was it.” He ended up appreciating the art form, the people he met due to it, and claimed that those memories were what gave him the feeling of success, rather than the cheque.
Shaquille O’Neal did not care about $10,000,000 cheque from his first successful album
Considering his worldwide fame, Shaquille O’Neal’s first album quickly made a global impact. Multiple songs from the album made it to the top-1oo Billboard in December 1993, with half a million copies being sold by the end of the year.
Shaq Diesel came out in March 1993, and O’Neal received a $10,000,000 cheque for it. However, he claimed that the money did not represent success in his head, which led to a change in mindset:
“After my first album, I changed my mindset. Let me explain, ‘Oh, I am a rapper now, baba bah, ohh you sell a million albums.’ No disrespect to the art form or the rapper, I am very proud of them, but that cheque did nothing for me my brother. I was like, for real? This is it? I am going to appreciate the moments. Coz the Notorious B.I.G.? No cheque amounts to that. Five Dog? No cheque will amount to that. I probably have the best discography, from a non rapper. So those moments, especially when I built the studio in my house, those guys that come down and we chop it up. That’s what I did it for, because four or five years before that, I was just like every other kid. I was a fan, so now they have the opportunity to rock with these guys. That’s the moment I lived it for, that’s the moment I continue to live for. Just let me be the guy who just wants to rap with his favorite artists.”
Shaq talked about how he could never be as big as someone like B.I.G., no matter how many albums he sold. Hence, he needed to revel in the memories he made, and talk about a range of things that he takes pride in.
This includes the studio that he apparently had built at his own house. Additionally, O’Neal claimed that simply meeting and working with other artists, and the creative process that went behind his songs became the source of his happiness, as far as his rapping was concerned.
Rapper Z-Ro remade O’Neal’s “Stop the Reign”
For Shaq, perhaps his biggest moment as a rapper came when he partnered with the B.I.G. for his 1996 song, “Stop the Reign.” The song received huge success and was one of the two songs that he worked on alongside the legendary rapper.
The other one, “No Love Lost,” which originally featured on his third album, was never released, according to okayplayer. Regardless, “Stop the Reign” was recently remade by popular rapper Z-Ro.
Shaq himself featured in the video, and referenced B.I.G. as well. The new version featured a remade tune that pays homage to the original, and in itself is a must-listen.
