With superstars like Kobe Bryant, Damian Lillard, and Shaquille O’Neal leveraging their status to delve into hip-hop, Stephen Jackson’s penmanship often doesn’t get recognition in the NBA rapper conversation.
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Perhaps in an effort to receive his due credit, the 2003 NBA champion picked himself as the best NBA rapper on ‘All the Smoke Unplugged’ with Matt Barnes. In the process, he inadvertently snubbed the platinum-selling Shaq Diesel.
“That ain’t hard,” Stak began. “I’m going five, I’m going Iman Shumpert. Four, I’m going Lou Williams. Three, I’m going Damian Lillard. Two, I’m going Shaq, and one, I’m going me.”
Since 2011, Jackson has taken to the moniker ‘Stak5’ to release a handful of hip-hop mixtapes. His debut ‘What’s A Lockout?’ was a well-timed allusion to the 161-day NBA lockout that occurred in the same year.
The tape featured Maybach Music Group’s DJ Scream and three-time platinum-selling artist, Scarface. In 2012, Jackson followed it up with ‘Jack of All Trades’ but much like his playstyle, the mixtapes would remain largely underrated, not receiving the same buzz that O’Neal did with his debut releases.
In Shaq’s case, he was a bonafide superstar by the end of his first NBA season and his debut album ‘Shaq Diesel’ would attract top rappers, earning him features from juggernauts like The Notorious B.I.G. and Method Man. Released on October 26th, 1993, the album would attain platinum status within a year.
To this date, Diesel remains the only NBA player with a platinum-selling album. To many, that would be plenty to earn him the #1 spot on their list. But Stak’s standards are clearly his own as he also snubbed his former collaborator, Kevin Durant.
Stephen Jackson left Kevin Durant off his list
Jackson released a song with Kevin Durant’s feature in October of 2012, as the first single from his second tape ‘Jack of All Trades’. Durant wasn’t yet a league MVP, but he was a multi-time All-Star with enough draw to justify the collaboration.
While it wouldn’t convert any hip-hop heads, it was certainly a hit among the NBA community, who praised both, Jackson and Durant’s flow and penmanship.
Unfortunately, Jackson must not have been particularly impressed as his former collaborator didn’t make his top 5 list. Nonetheless, KD has continued his rap journey without Jackson’s nod.
He reportedly has an unreleased track with Lil Wayne, who called Durant a “jewel” and a “rare rapper of the past”. Earlier this year, KD proved why Tunechi held him in such high regard by dropping a surprise collab with rapper, Stalley.
Once again, fans were left impressed by Durant’s nonchalant flow but the 2014 MVP has kept everyone wanting more. Maybe the release of his own mixtape or album could help him secure a spot in Stephen Jackson’s best NBA rappers list.
