Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most multifaceted athletes to ever grace the NBA. Beyond dominating on the hardwood, he’s also had stints as a movie star, DJ, and platinum-selling rapper—yes, platinum. In a recent episode of The Big Podcast, Shaq looked back at his iconic run as a hip-hop artist in the ’90s.
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It all started after his electric performance on The Arsenio Hall Show. After that, Jive Records offered him a staggering $10 million deal for three albums. But Shaq had one condition. He told them he’d only accept the offer if he could make music with his favorite artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, and Michael Jackson.
It was a no-brainer for Jive considering the rising popularity of Shaq and his ability to write and perform. Shaq made good on his end, releasing his debut album Shaq Diesel in 1993, which went platinum, making him the most commercially successful artist to ever come out of the NBA. But the real highlight, according to Shaq, was getting to collaborate with the King of Pop himself.
When asked by Adam Lefkoe to detail his experience with the late legend, Shaq said, “Oh, that one went platinum too.” Shaq revealed that MJ invited him to his house to work, and when they got into the studio, Shaq was shocked. He saw that MJ had over 500 tracks stored on his drives.
Although not all of them were fully written, some only featured adlibs, but Shaq got to experience what the work ethic in that industry looked like. “So, I went, did my thing, and left,” the big fella said. Decades have gone by since then, but Shaq’s love for music hasn’t faded away at all.
Shaquille O’Neal is now also a renowned DJ
Shaq has always told stories from his childhood and how he was always into music. However, with the pressure of making it as an NBA athlete as well, Shaq never really got to focus on his art. That was until his retirement, because now, he walks around with a solid set for any international music festival in the world.
During an appearance on Full Send Podcast, Shaq said that he never liked being put into the ‘celebrity DJ’ category. He believes that the tag implies someone is not the best at their job, but the big fella was well prepared. So, he asked Tomorrowland to give him a good spot, and if they don’t like what they see, they can fire him.
The confidence paid off, and Shaq rocked the crowd of almost 100k. Since then, he has not looked back. Shaq has performed in festivals like Lost Lands, Lollapalooza, and more.
