Shaq’s rap career is not something people often talk about, but it was a $10 million deal that helped broaden his appeal beyond basketball.
Everyone knows Shaq was a dominant force in the NBA during the 1990s.
The Music’s Got Shaq
However, his career took an unexpected turn when he performed with Fu-Schnickens on “The Arsenio Hall Show” in 1992. The performance served as an introduction of sorts because, at the time, only hardcore basketball fans really knew how charismatic Shaq was.
His rap performance grabbed the attention of executives at Jive Records, and according to a story Shaq has frequently repeated, the label wanted to sign the young NBA star to a $10 million contract, though this has not been substantiated.
Shaq was not using a separate rap persona at that point; he later adopted the name Shaq Diesel, which became the title of his debut album.
Under Jive Records, which was owned by Sony Music Entertainment, Shaq signed a three-album deal. The first album, “Shaq Diesel,” was released in 1993.
“So the next day my agent said, ‘Man, something weird happened.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Jive just offered you $10 million. $10 million for three albums.’ I was like, ‘I’m gonna do it,’” recalled Shaq, who is currently touring as DJ Diesel on a Texas Takeover tour for September with stops in El Paso (Sept. 17), San Antonio (Sept. 18), Houston (Sept. 19), and Dallas (Sept. 20), on the Million Dollars Worth of Game podcast in Nov. 2020. The story recently resurfaced on The Basketball Network.
Shaq’s debut album was a commercial success, peaking at No. 25 on the Billboard 200 and No. 10 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
It was later certified Platinum by the RIAA on March 21, 1994, meaning it shipped more than 1 million copies in the United States.
His second album, “Shaq Fu: Da Return” (1994), shipped more than 500,000 copies.
While that was roughly half the sales of his debut, it still earned Gold certification from the RIAA. It peaked at No. 67 on the Billboard 200 and No. 19 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Shaq left Jive Records in 1996 after a compilation titled “The Best of Shaquille O’Neal,” which fulfilled his contract. Shaq transitioned to a joint venture with Trauma Records, which was distributed through Interscope. and signed with Interscope Records, where he released his third studio album, “You Can’t Stop the Reign.”
The collaborators on the project is what made it stand out for the era: The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, Rakim, Bobby Brown, and DJ Quik all appeared on the album, giving it a level of hip-hop credibility that few athlete-turned-rappers have ever achieved.
“Listen, I’m real. Nobody want to hear 17 songs by myself… But if I get Biggie on there, if I get Jay-Z on there, if I get Erick Sermon, Redman…” Shaq said.
