Ice Cube Explains To Shaquille O’Neal Why He Blocked His Collaboration With Dr. Dre

Ice Cube argued that Shaquille O’Neal was “more than just gangsta.”

Shaquille O’Neal recently brought on Ice Cube to his show, The Big Podcast, during which the legendary rapper revealed why he blocked Shaq from releasing a collaboration with Dr. Dre. The track was titled, “That’s Gangsta,” which addresses what Cube took issue with. He explained that O’Neal was “more than just gangsta” and a star of the Los Angeles Lakers at the time.

“Cube was executive producing one of my records,” Shaq said. “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. I thought it was nice … And then I played it for Cube … He was like, ‘Shaq, you’re a f*cking Laker, bro. I don’t want you talking about nothing gangsta. We not doing none of that sh*t.’ And it never came out.”

Ice Cube & His Son, Oshea Jackson Jr., Attend Lakers Game

From there, Cube explained: “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 backward when you’re already forward? You’re already a household name.” Shaq wasn’t upset with the comments, instead suggesting it taught him an important lesson. “That taught me, Cube, stay true to who you are,” O’Neal said. “‘Cause I ain’t gonna lie. You guys wanna be basketball players, I wanted to be y’all growing up.” Check out the full interview below.

Ice Cube Speaks With Shaq

Elsewhere, the two discussed the NBA Finals, the rise of the WNBA and Caitlyn Clark, the Big3 league, and more. Be on the lookout for further updates on Shaquille O’Neal and Ice Cube on HotNewHipHop.