Shaquille O’Neal has been judging a rap tournament with Whozfire on the latter’s YouTube channel. The format of the tournament is simple, Shaq and Whozfire get song submissions from local artists who are trying to make it in the music business. Then they listen to the tracks during live sessions on YouTube and select the ones worthy of recognition.
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During the last listening session, Shaq was informed that listeners have been trying to typecast them as people who only like ‘high energy, hype records’. The comments struck a chord with the NBA legend and he went on to explain why Whozfire shouldn’t pay attention to those remarks.
To drive his point home, Shaq namedropped his legendary list of collaborations in the music industry to justify that he knows what he’s talking about.
The big man admitted that he doesn’t consider himself the hottest emcee ever. But after being in the game for so long, he has a great understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
Shaq said that the $20,000 prize money that he has put into the tournament is coming from his pocket, and the winner will be the one he likes the most. His confidence in identifying talent comes from the people that he has been around.
Shaq said, “I’ve been in the studio [with]…Erick Sermon (of the legendary EPMD), Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, Redman, Canibus, KRS-One, Snoop [Dogg], Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, Quincy Jones, Fat Joe, Michael Jackson, Big Pun.”
“So, I know what’s going to hit and what’s not going to hit. 95 South down in Orlando, Backstreet Boys did their first album in my studio.”
That’d be an impressive list even for a full-time musician, but Shaq has done so much while managing successful careers in the NBA and broadcasting. Based on his resume, it’s natural that he would not be bothered by someone’s opinion.
Shaq has had a successful rap career as well. He released his debut album titled ‘Shaq Diesel’ in 1993, only a year after making his NBA debut. The album was received well by the audience as it peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200 chart. The following year ‘Shaq Diesel’ was certified platinum by the RIAA.
