On October 26, 1993, Shaquille O’Neal released Shaq Diesel, his debut album, on Jive Records. A young NBA star stepping into the booth sounds like a gimmick on paper. Shaq turned it into a platinum plaque.
What It Was
Shaq Diesel is a 12-track, 41-minute rap album recorded in 1992 and 1993, with sessions in Orlando and Winter Park, Florida, plus North Hollywood and New York, according to its Wikipedia entry. The production lineup is where it gets serious for real heads: Erick Sermon of EPMD, Def Jef, Meech Wells, K-Cut of Main Source and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest.
The guest list kept that same golden-era energy. Phife Dawg and Fu-Schnickens both show up, along with Def Jef, and Erick Sermon jumps on “Boom!” The samples dig into James Brown, the Gap Band and Herbie Hancock.
The Singles
- “What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock)” peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- “(I Know I Got) Skillz” went the highest, reaching No. 35.
- “I’m Outstanding” hit No. 47.
- “Shoot Pass Slam” rounded out the run as the fourth single.
Charts and Certification
The album peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200 and No. 10 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On March 21, 1994, the RIAA certified it platinum for one million copies shipped. Reviews were mixed, but commercially it was a surprise hit.
The IAHHM Take
Before athletes had podcasts, clothing lines and label deals as standard practice, Shaq was rocking with Tribe and Fu-Schnickens and selling a million records. He didn’t just rent a studio. He pulled real producers and real MCs into the room, and that’s why the album still gets love instead of jokes.
Shaq Diesel is a big piece of the story of how hoops and hip hop became one culture. Every hooper who drops a song today is walking a lane Shaq helped pave 33 years ago.
So be honest: is “(I Know I Got) Skillz” the best song ever made by a pro athlete? If not, what is?
Want more throwbacks? Check out our last On This Day pick, ‘Paid in Full’ at 24, and dig through our Sports coverage for today’s culture-meets-hoops stories.
Source: Wikipedia: Shaq Diesel, V 101.9: This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History
