Shaq Afraid of Violent End to Drake vs Kendrick Lamar Beef: “I Got 50 Cars and I Like Different Music”

The Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef has caught the attention of the entire world. From other rappers, actors, and athletes, almost everyone has picked a side. But NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t want to get into all that. O’Neal, who has his own history of infamous beefs and releasing ‘diss tracks’, weighed in on the debate that has the country engulfed.

“I like competition. I love it, you know, because we all have egos. We all say we’re the best and the fans want you to prove it,” O’Neal said on the latest episode of The Big Podcast With Shaq. While he didn’t seem to be 100% convinced about the authenticity of the beef, he said he was enjoying it all. But as has been the case with many such beefs in the past, like Tupac & Biggie, and Jay Z & Nas, among others, Shaq hopes it doesn’t get to that point.

“I just hope it don’t go into all that other stuff. You know, ‘My crew see your crew and we start fighting and shooting and all that,'” stated O’Neal. He further gave an example of the WWE and how they keep it respectful. The 52-year-old then revealed that he prefers to listen to different artists in different cars. “Listen, I’m a fan… I’m neutral. I just like great music. I got 50 cars and I like different music.” O’Neal must be speaking from past experience.

While Shaq and Kobe Bryant were the most dominant duo on the court, their relationship off it wasn’t great. They had many disagreements and issues, and one of the most memorable moments from their infamous beef was in 2008 after Bryant’s Lakers lost the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. O’Neal dissed his former teammate at a party with a rap, even asking, “Kobe, tell me. how my a** tastes.” While they eventually mended their relationship, this still lives on as one of the most controversial moments in recent league history.

Maybe that’s why Shaq doesn’t want Drake and Kendrick’s beef to get out of hand. As he himself said, he is a fan of it all. And the 4x NBA champion has an interesting way to listen to all his favorite rappers.

Shaquille O’Neal Comparing Drake and Kendrick unusually

People make comparisons based on the number of streams, YouTube numbers, concert numbers, etc. But Shaq interestingly made the differentiation by what car he drives. Talking about Drake, he said, “Phantom and the Maybach we listening to Drake. Because what I like about Drake that  m*****f****r spits. He’s just straight bars and straight music, is really good.”

When asked about Kendrick, Shaq had a different car in mind; the West Coast cars such as Hellcat Phantom and convertibles. Shaq refused to rank them or pick one from the list, saying he doesn’t have enough qualifications to talk about the MCs. “Like if you’re not a great player, you can’t talk about a great player.”

Since he has worked with all three of them, it would have been rude of him to select just one. But certainly highlights an important point as being the voice to stop violence.