\u201cThe thing that went on for me and him was just for fun,\u201d Shaq declared at this week\u2019s \u201cNBA on TNT American Express Road Show\u201d event in Los Angeles. \u201cI think he\u2019s really, really good and he\u2019s very talented. We had fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neal\u2019s comments come a month after posting a song seemingly directed at Lillard<\/a>, the Portland Trail Blazer-cum-rapper Dame D.O.L.L.A., who claimed in a recent interview that he had more flow than Shaq Fu. Lillard responded days later with his own diss track, titled \u201cReign Reign Go Away,\u201d digging at Shaq with references to Kobe Bryant, Icy Hot and yes, his appearances on TNT; in an interview with Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a>, Lillard said he penned \u201cReign Reign Go Away\u201d in 45 minutes, and its follow-up diss track, \u201cI Rest My Case,\u201d in 20.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But Shaq seems to have taken the back-and-forth in stride, if not exactly ready to back down.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all come from the same place,\u201d O\u2019Neal says, diplomatically. \u201cMy thing is, if you say you\u2019re better than me, I accept the challenge. If he says \u2018I look better than you,\u2019 then okay, I gotta hit the gym and work out; if he says \u2018My shoes are whiter than yours,\u2019 then I gotta go to the store and pick out a better pair. Other people take that stuff personally but I don\u2019t,\u201d he explains. \u201cIf you challenge me, I\u2019ll step up to the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Though the feud appears to have simmered down, don\u2019t expect Shaq and Lillard to get together and talk it out Taylor Swift and Katy Perry-style<\/a> anytime soon. \u201cWe are competitors, we don\u2019t pick people\u2019s brains,\u201d he says, adding: \u201c[Lillard] doesn\u2019t need my advice.\u201d Lillard similarly told Rolling Stone<\/em>, \u201cMy battle rap days are over.\u201d<\/p>\n The D.O.L.L.A.-dunking track Shaq posted to Instagram has already amassed almost 200,000 views<\/a>, and it\u2019s sparked renewed interest \u2013 whether intentionally or ironically \u2013 in the 47-year-old\u2019s rap career. But while the former Lakers star reveals that he has \u201clike a hundred unreleased tracks\u201d in the vault, they\u2019ll be for his ears only \u2013 for now.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do [music] for fun but I\u2019m not getting back into it,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve been there, done that, went platinum twice with two terrible albums.\u201d (O\u2019Neal actually sold a million copies of his debut album, Shaq Diesel<\/em><\/a> and its follow-up, Shaq Fu: Da Return<\/em> was certified Gold<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cThe funny thing is, rappers want to be NBA players and NBA players want to be rappers, but I was the first one,\u201d he heaves. \u201cWant me to be honest?\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s not enough money in the rap game for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Halsey and Shaquille O\u2019Neal celebrate the start of the NBA season at the \u2018NBA on TNT American Express Road Show\u2019 Event<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And while a quick glance at his Spotify profile reveals a mix of \u201cwhite guy classics\u201d (his words) and \u201cslow jams\u201d (Spotify\u2019s words), the guy who dropped a surprise DJ set at the Lost Lands Festival last year<\/a> is keeping up to date on the current music scene too, shouting out everyone from Halsey to Tyla Yaweh as current faves. \u201cHe\u2019s a kid from Orlando and his album is fuckin\u2019 dope,\u201d Shaq says, throwing up the plug. \u201cHe\u2019s really good.\u201d<\/p>\n Diesel\u2019s deep voice and mumbled pronunciation of \u201cTyla\u201d makes it seem like he\u2019s referring to a completely different artist at first. \u201cOh Taylor [Swift]?\u201d he asks. \u201cYeah, I like her too.\u201d<\/p>\n Can he relate to Swift dealing with rivalries and haters in the industry? The hulking host says the view is different from the top.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve got an American Express, you don\u2019t need to worry about a Visa,\u201d he says, slipping in a plug for his TNT show\u2019s sponsor (Shaq has also served as an Amex ambassador since 2016). \u201cSome people are so caught up in their egos, but I don\u2019t have any of that,\u201d he shrugs. \u201cI\u2019m just a regular guy\u2026with a black card.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"shaq](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Shaq-and-Halsey.jpg?w=800\")
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