'Damn, I ain't ever going platinum again!': TI stuns Shaquille O'Neal with whopping 1.6 billion streams calculation
Aside from basketball, Shaquille O'Neal has followed countless different passions. Among those is rap and hip hop. While the NBA legend is focusing on his DJ career now, there was a time he made music. That said, Shaq was recently left speechless by changes in the music game.
During a recent episode of his "The Big" podcast, Shaquille O'Neal had on rapper TI as a guest. He asked him about the difference between selling albums compared to streams. After hearing about the new process, the Hall of Fame center doesn't think he'll ever have a platinum album again.
"Basically, a certain amount of streams equates to an album sale," TI said. "I think 1.6 billion [streams] is platinum."
Shaq quickly chimed in with a funny response after hearing this massive number.
"Well I ain't ever going platinum again then. Damn," Shaq said.
TI is an American rapper based out of Atlanta, Georgia. He first burst on the scene in 2003, and has been a staple in hip hop ever since.
Per Spotify, TI has 11.2 million monthly listeners on the platform. His biggest album, "Paper Trail," came out in 2008. The last time TI dropped an album was back in 2020 titled "The L.I.B.R.A."
Does Shaquille O'Neal have any platinum albums?
During the 1990s and 2000s, Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant forces in the NBA. Despite all the success he had going on the court, the superstar big man was still chasing more outside of the sport.
Along with dominating basketball at his peak, Shaq was also pumping out albums in the stuido. His first release came in 1993 titled "Shaq Diesel." While his career was still going, he'd release "Shaq Fu: Da Return," "You Can't Stop the Reign," and "Respect." Shaq's final album came out in 2023, "Gorilla Warfare."
Shaq did end up going platinum with one of his albums. Shaq Diesel hit this mark, with Shaq Fu: Da Return also going gold. For an album to be considered platinum, it has to have at least one million sales. Selling at least half a million makes it gold.
The LA Lakers legend has always taken his music career serious. He's stated time and time again that he's the best rapper in the NBA. This has led to some arguements, as some feel that title belongs to Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard.
These days, Shaq is more focused on DJing then rapping. His "DJ Diesel" act has become a big hit over the past year. Last summer, he did a tour all across the country performing at MLB stadiums.
Also read: “I take it personal”: Shaquille O'Neal takes subtle dig at D.O.L.L.A. aka Damian Lillard while proclaim himself to be the best rapper/athlete ever