#BMM30 Day 4 — Shaqtin’ a fool on the mic

Shaquille O’Neal, just about six years into retirement, is now known as the humorous, Simon Cowell-esque judge of NBA centers on TNT’s dynamite studio show “Inside the NBA.” Of course, he’s also considered one of the 5 to 10 best centers to ever play the game of basketball, a combination of brute force and skilled agility that leaves him among the top 20 in more than a few statistical categories.

But Shaq’s greatest achievement that doesn’t involve dunking on helpless big men and giving himself catchy nicknames is the fact that he released four studio rap albums, had five top 20 rap singles, a couple of top 40 R&B singles and even cracked the pop top 40 twice. His debut album Shaq Diesel is the only certified platinum album ever released by a professional athlete and he’s rapped alongside legends such as The Notorious B.I.G., Ice Cube, KRS-One, Cypress Hill, Method Man and Redman, WC and Nate Dogg.

As Keith Murphy’s superb oral history of the making of *Shaq Diesel* at The Undefeated last September suggests, Shaq was just as invested in his rapping as he was his post moves, proving that he had the dedication and the respect to the craft of rhyming to actually make a good record. It doesn’t hurt when you get to work with producers like Erick Sermon of EPMD, DJ Quik and Easy Mo Bee, just to name a few. But Shaq had total command required to be taken seriously as a rapper — natural charisma, a basso profundo to carry his rhymes and the right amount of punchlines for lighthearted, fun raps.

With that in mind, I’ll count down my top five Shaq rap joints and if you feel like chiming in with your own, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter at @CJWritesNThangs and use the #BMM30 hashtag.

5. “Connected,” featuring WC and Nate Dogg, from Shaquille O’Neal Presents His Superfriends, 2001: From the unreleased Superfriends compilation, Shaq teamed up with 1/3 of the Westside Connection and Nate for a typical synth bass G-Funk party single that feature Shaq and Nate riding around LA in a Benz and WC c-walking in the video. Considering how hard David Stern came down on Allen Iverson for 40 Barz, quite sure WC reppin’ his set didn’t sit well with him either.

6. “I’m Outstanding,” from Shaq Diesel, 1993: Sampling the eternal Gap Band cookout classic, Shaq gives an autobiographical look at his life up until his rookie of the year season with the Orlando Magic, including a cameo in the video from his teammate and close friend Dennis Scott.

7. “Men of Steel,” featuring Ice Cube, B-Real of Cypress Hill, KRS-One and Peter Gunz, from the Steel soundtrack, 1997: Over a thumping drum and haunting chimes from Tone & Poke of the Trackmasters, Shaq holds his own among West Coast icons Cube and B-Real, The Teacher KRS and he also introduced us (for better or worse) to Peter Gunz.

8. “What’s Up Doc,” with Fu-Schnickens, from Shaq Diesel, 1993: One of my favorite memories of the original Arsenio Hall show era is Arsenio’s mouth dropping and silently cheering Shaq on as the Diesel rips his earliest rhymes with his favorite rap group at that time. It would eventually lead the Fu’s final album and earn Shaq his contract with Jive Records. The Fu raps their supersonic wise guy raps and then Shaq comes on like the special guest on your favorite 90s TV show to bring it home.

9. “You Can’t Stop The Reign,” featuring The Notorious B.I.G., from You Can’t Stop The Reign, 1996: Shaq holds himself responsible for Big’s murder although no one can say if the fates would’ve been any different if he were at the Petersen Automotive Museum March 9, 1997. Still, on a complete loop of Loose Ends’ underrated “You can’t stop the rain,” Shaq spits some Big Baller rhymes and then B.I.G., who truly was just warming up on guest appearances (see “Brooklyn’s Finest” with Jay-Z) blesses the track with his Big Poppa braggadocio.