“I don’t want to seem like I’m dissing… Growing up, like, I had 100 different tapes that sounded different, and it was lovely” - Shaquille O'Neal says today's hip-hop all sounds the same
Despite Shaquille O'Neal's love for basketball and his NBA legacy, he has always loved music just as much. The former LA Lakers center tried to strike a balance between both career paths with his 1993 album, "Shaq Diesel." But he evidently placed more focus on his basketball career over music.
Notwithstanding this, Shaq made a return to the scene after his retirement, becoming an EDM disc jockey. He once said that DJing and producing EDM gives him the adrenaline boost he desires.
On the latest episode of "The Big Podcast," O'Neal engaged with DJ Derrick "D-Nice" Jones, a guest on the show. He was particularly interested in talking about the sound of music currently released within the hip-hop scene.
The Hall of Famer shared his dislike for the style of hip-hop being churned out at this age. His key argument was that they all sound the same as opposed to what he was accustomed to growing up. He claimed that sometimes he cannot tell who the artist on the track is, because of how close they all sound.
"Sounds the same to me," O'Neal said. "I could remember growing up, going through those tapes, everybody sound different. From the Fat Boys to The Skinny Boys to LL (Cool J) to BDP (Boogie Down Productions) and then you going onto the West Coast and, you know, even go to the guy who sang, 'Daa haa haa haa,' like, everybody sound different."
"To me, everybody sounds the same. I don't want to seem like I'm dissing, but sometime when I hear people, I don't even know who I'm listening to."
Shaquille O'Neal says he does not like the current sound of hip-hop as they all sound the same
The basketball and hip-hop scene is closely related, with basketball being one of the various forms of the culture. Be it street or professional basketball, the game and hip-hop culture are intertwined, with some players keenly interested in rap.
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Shaquille O'Neal falls into the category of players who love rap and decided to put out some records. The same goes for Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard. He has, however, shared his distaste for the current sound of hip-hop being the same. He recalled having 100 different tapes that all sounded nice but were distinctive.
"I don't really like it," O'Neal said. "They hit though, you know. The beats hit hard. And, you know, you got your little TikTok dancers and all that, but I can remember, when I was growing up, Iike, I had 100 different tapes that sounded different, and it was lovely."