A hip-hop legend is giving DJ Diesel his flowers. With a little assistance from his longtime friends in the music biz, Shaquille O’Neal cemented his status as an athlete-rapper within the first week of the 2023-24 NBA season. Apart from a big rap return with none other than Dame Dolla, his connection to a famous rap icon came to the fore.

Rick Ross hyped his collaboration with the hoopers and demanded respect for the athlete-rappers. According to him, Shaq’s rap career paved the way.

Shaq’s old friend’s legendary revelation

Rick Ross and Meek Mill made Inside the NBA even hotter with their presence. And they had an epic announcement to make. They premiered the remix of their new joint track, “Shaq & Kobe” with two of the best athlete-rappers ever. Not only does it mark Damian Lillard‘s second Kobe tribute, but it also returns one of the title’s namesakes, Shaquille O’Neal, back to his rap roots.

The original, “Shaq & Kobe” that released in September is the first release off Ross and Mill’s upcoming album, Too Good to be True. Ahead of its release on November 10, Dame and Shaq’s remix is available for streaming everywhere.

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After hanging out with the Inside Crew, Ross and Mill stopped by The Morning Hustle to talk all about this collaboration. While he was at it, he ensured that his friend and neighbor, Shaq gets the acknowledgement he deserved.

Ross himself confirmed that Shaq is no wannabe. He’s from the “culture” as Ross said, “That man had records with B.I.G., you know what I’m saying.” Indeed Shaq’s earliest tracks featured artists no other rap debutant could boast about, including the legendary Notorious B.I.G.

READ MORE: Shaquille O’Neal’s Frustrated Son Sends Explicit Warning to Lakers

Rick is familiar with iconic debuts as his first tracks were collabs with icons like Jay-Z, Nas, and the famous Biggie Smalls. There’s an unreleased track with all four icons which the world has never been able to listen to.

Shaq and the Notorious B.I.G. have a long history that’s not limited to their 1996 song, “Still Can’t Stop the Reign.” Biggie Smalls name-dropped Shaq in one of his previous songs. Famously, after hearing that song, O’Neal called him and asked for the collab.

In his sequence on “Shaq & Kobe,” O’Neal would throw it back to their friendship by rapping, “Did a song with Biggie, it was all a dream.” That is the stardom of the originator of the athlete-rapper trend.

Shaquille O’Neal’s hip-hop legacy

Shaq is as competitive in the hip-hop game as he was on the hardwood. He wasn’t ready to give the title of best athlete-rapper to Dame Dolla, who fans hail as the best emcee to also play on the court.

As Da Boss said, a credible argument could be made to prove Shaq is a bonafide rap icon. Rozay said that every car in Miami had the then-Orlando Magic rookie’s debut album, Shaq Diesel. The now reigning dubstep giant is also a platinum-selling artist.

He succeeded where other athletes failed and paved the path for the likes of Dame Lillard. Fans thought Lillard would contest the claim. Instead, he pulled Shaq out of rap retirement to remix a song that celebrates his Lakers legacy.

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This collaborative track is living up to all its hype so far. ’90s NBA-rap fans needed this so bad. Have you vibe-checked Shaq and Dame’s collab yet?