Damian Lillard is by far the best rapper to have ever played in the NBA. This shouldn’t be a question anymore. There are incredible artists across the league such as Aaron Gordon, Iman Shumpert, and Victor Oladipo but Dame has consistently put out work that both sounds good and has a substance to it.
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If there was one man in the history of the NBA who could respectably be up against ‘Dame DOLLA’, it’s Shaquille O’Neal. ‘The Big Aristotle’ has been both a rapper and now, a DJ, going by the name of ‘DJ Diesel’. When it comes to rapping, he’s quite the accomplished man.
He began laying down bars professionally in 1993 and has released 5 studio albums to date. His first ever album, Shaq Diesel, was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Since those albums, he hasn’t rapped all too much. That is of course, until he was forced to release diss tracks.
Also read: Damian Lillard, Who Earned Himself $122 Million, Surpassed Shaquille O’Neal In 40+ Point Games
Dame’s mother on the rap beef between Shaq and her son
Damian Lillard went on the Joe Budden Podcast in 2019 and said that he was the best rapper the NBA has ever produced, claiming people didn’t recognize Shaquille O’Neal for his rapping when they were kids. Shaq, offended by this, went off on the Blazers superstar in a diss track.
O’Neal said things like, “Take your time to respond, there is no hurry; you’ll never be Westbrook, never be Curry,” and, “What’s in your wallet, American Express or Visa; Talkin’ like your Bron, You ain’t even Trevor Ariza.”
Dame of course, responded with better bars, better flow, and a track that was just better produced. The nail in the coffin was when Lillard attributed all of Shaq’s Lakers rings to Kobe Bryant. Along with this, he sprinkled in heavy hitting disses regarding his unflattering shoes, his Shaq-Fu and Kazaam movies, and his lackluster stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Lillard’s mom went on Ayesha Curry and Dell Curry’s podcast, ‘Raising Fame’ during this beef and talked about how Damian Lillard meant now malice with what he said, trying to deescalate the situation.
Gina Johnson navigates life as both an #NBAMom and a #RapMom. Gina sets the record straight on the “beef” between her son @Dame_Lillard and @SHAQ #RaisingFame pic.twitter.com/1v18HXVy3y
— Raising Fame with the Currys (@raising_fame) February 28, 2020