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Shaq Discusses His New EDM Album and Performing for 100K Fans: 'Feels Like A Playoff Game'

Shaq Discusses His New EDM Album and Performing for 100K Fans: 'Feels Like A Playoff Game'

Published Fri, August 25, 2023 at 3:45 PM EDT

Shaquille O'Neal's post-NBA career is keeping him busy with his Inside The NBA gig with TNT and his various commercial endorsements.

Shaq, who has enjoyed a respectable rap career, releasing material with the Fu-Schnickens, The Notorious B.I.G., Erick Sermon, and Method Man, is now a DJ going by the moniker DJ Diesel. According to Cassius Life, he recently sat down with Variety to discuss DJing and his EDM album, Gorilla Warfare, which boasts features from fellow DJs Jessica Audiffred, Crackdat aka Christian Smith, Hairitage, CELO, VRG & Blackway, Soltan, Kompany, TRXGGX, Rated R, and Chassi & Kozmoz.

"These are some of my favorites, and I wanted to use my platform to showcase other people to the world and help these young kids out," he told Variety. "I’ve been playing basketball since I was 13. If it’s a crowd of 100 people or a crowd of 100,000, it’s the same thing if you’re putting on a show. In high school, the gym would be packed with 300 people. In the NBA and the championships, you have parades, but then it’s all gone, and you need it back,” he said. “I went to Tomorrowland and saw Tiesto with 100,000 people out there. I got that feeling back. I thought, ‘I’ve been DJing since ’88, let me try.’ I was in the celebrity DJ box and had to prove myself."

Shaq compared the thrill of DJing for a crowd of 100,000 at this year's Lollapalooza to his experiences in the NBA.

“It gives me the feeling of a playoff game. People are ready to jam and have a good time. It’s our job as athletes and DJs to give them their money’s worth,” he explained.

Gorilla Warfare, which boasts 10 songs, was released August 18 on the Monstercat label. Check out album snippets above.

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