Shaquille O'Neal Releasing New Hip-Hop Track With Blackway
By Jeffrey Harris on April 30, 2023 at 2:15 PM EDT
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is returning to the world of hip-hop. In celebration of the NBA Playoffs, he will release a new single, "King Talk," next week, per The Hollywood Reporter. The new track is a collaboration between Shaq and the Ghanaian-American rap artist Blackway.
The song will be available starting May 2.
Shaquille O'Neal Dropping New Rap Single 'King Talk' On May 2
O'neal had been teasing the track as early as Feb. 7 on his social accounts. He used an animated video celebrating LeBron James surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leading scorer in the NBA. At the time, Shaq wrote, "Congratulations @KingJames job well done. My boy @IamBlackway had this waiting for you."
O'Neal is no stranger to the world of hip-hop. He released four rap albums in the 1990s, and he's collaborated with the likes of Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and more. His first album, "Shaq Diesel," released in 1993, became a platinum-selling album. The record included some gold singles, "What's Up Doc? (Can We Rock)" and also "(I Know I Got) Skillz," which became Top 40 selling tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album also collaborated with Phife Dawg, Def Jef, and Fu-Schnickens.
https://twitter.com/SHAQ/status/1623208153587515392
In 1994, Shaq released his second album, "Shaq Fu: Da Return," which also went gold. The album featured songs with Method Man, RZA, Redman, and Keith Murray. In his 1998 album, "Respect," he collaborated with the late Kobe Bryant.
O'Neal has remained active in the music scene in recent years. The 51-year-old has moonlighted as DJ Diesel and performed at electronic dance music festivals and his event, Shaq's Fun House, a pre-Super Bowl extravaganza. This has led to the former NBA layer releasing EDM singles, including collaborations with artists such as Steve Aoki, Wuki, NITTI, NIGHTMARE, Riot Ten, 4B, and Eliminate.
THR reports that Shaq's newest rap single, "King Talk," was produced by Koko. It will be available on streaming platforms via Hive Music/Position Music. Blackway previously performed a track for the Academy Award-winning animated feature, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," called "What's Up Danger," which Blackway collaborated on with Black Caviar.
O'Neal previously retired from NBA competition in 2011. During his career, he became a four-time NBA, a 15-time NBA All-Star, an NBA Most Valuable Player, an NBA Rookie of the Year, and a 1996 Olympic Games gold medal winner. Currently, O'Neal is one of the broadcasters for "Inside the NBA." He also hosts his podcast, "The Big Podcast with Shaq."
Shaq has never been afraid to branch out and has always been a great entertainer. In 2016, he made his in-ring professional wrestling debut, competing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WWE's "WrestleMania 32." In 2021, he returned to the ring again for All Elite Wrestling's (AEW) "Dynamite," competing in a tag team match against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. Jade Cargill was O'Neal's tag team partner for the bout, which they won.
"King Talk" will be available on all major music streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, and Sound Cloud. Meanwhile, the NBA Playoffs are ongoing and airing on ABC, ESPN, and TNT. The finals are slated to kick off on June 1 and will air on ABC.
