Why Ice Cube blocked the release of Shaquille O’Neal’s ‘I’m Gangsta’
While an NBA star, the iconic Shaquille O’Neal also released rap music. From Shaq Diesel to Shaq Fu: Da Return, although his projects weren’t charting regularly, people still accepted him as a part-time emcee in the culture. However, on one occasion, Ice Cube stopped O’Neal from releasing a track.
Music, and most definitely hip-hop, is best when the creator is authentic, honest, and themselves. However, artists sometimes feel pressured to look a particular way, talk about certain things, and act in a specific manner if that is what the industry dictates.
Unfortunately, in rap music, many MCs suppress parts of their personality and, sometimes, even create false ones to achieve fame. Ice Cube is not one of those MCs, and when he worked with Shaquille O’Neal on a project, he made sure that the NBA star didn’t morph into something he wasn’t.
During an episode of his show, The Big Podcast With Shaq, the basketball player sat down with Ice Cube to reflect on the time they worked together. During their conversation, O’Neal recounted when Ice Cube stopped him from releasing a track he had recorded called ‘I’m Gangsta’.
The track was for an album where Ice Cube was in the role of executive producer. Recalling the recording of the album, Shaq told viewers, “Cube was executive producing one of my records. And he put me in the studio with Dr. Dre. I did a song called ‘That’s Gangsta.’ Cube heard it and was like, ‘Nope. We’re not releasing this.’ Dre did the beat.”
However, Ice Cube did it for the right reasons, as he felt that the four-time NBA champion was more than what he was trying to portray on the record and better than the image he was trying to perpetuate.
As he reflected on the rejection, Shaq continued, “I thought it was nice … And then I played it for Cube … He was like, ‘Shaq, you’re a fucking Laker, bro. I don’t want you talking about nothing gangsta. We not doing none of that shit.’ And it never came out.” Ice Cube admitted that O’Neal had skill as a rapper but insisted that he couldn’t allow ‘I’m Gangsta’ to come out because it wouldn’t benefit O’Neal and wasn’t a genuine part of life his story.
Speaking on the podcast, Ice Cube told viewers, “Shaq is a dope MC, but I just felt the record was off-brand for him because, to me, he’s more than just gangsta! He’s loved by millions, loved by kids. He already established that. And why go backwards when you’re already forward? You’re already a household name.”
In the end, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t release the track and is glad he didn’t, thanks to Ice Cube.