“Imma make your verse skippable” - Shaquille O'Neal collabs with Coyote to make big return to hip-hop

Shaquille O'Neal, better known as DJ Diesel, has made his big return to Hip Hop with a new track alongside a duo known as "Coyote." The move marks the Hall of Famer's first venture back into Hip Hop in recent years, with Shaquille O'Neal putting a heavy emphasis on his EDM career as of late.

This year, Shaquille O'Neal has released two EDM songs that have generated quite a bit of attention. In addition to signing with a record label to release EDM music, O'Neal is diving headfirst back into the Hip Hop scene.

In a video posted on Instagram, the four-time NBA champion can be seen dropping a verse as part of a music video with gold chains and flashy cars. The song is titled "3 Lokos" and shows O'Neal rapping alongside L.A.-based rap group "Coyote."

Here is the footage from Instagram showing the Hall of Famer rap, "Anybody trying to get on a song imma make your verse skippable," earning plenty of praise from NBA fans.

The duo of Coyote, Ladies Love Guapo and Ricky Blanco, also spoke with TMZ to discuss the collab, explaining that O'Neal has been a big fan of their music for quite some time. As such, the three developed a friendship that eventually led to the trio discussing a collab:

This is what the duo had to say,

"[Shaq] was like as long as it's some hardcore stuff, I'm down. So we made a hardcore hip hop 90s type song and we're like 'Bro, let's send it to Shaq,' ...

They added,

"4 hours later, he FaceTimes us and shows us his verse and he went crazy! He's rapping better than 90% of rappers out there. ... he got on it, did his thing, he spit like 32 bars. He went off!"

As of now, O'Neal and Coyote have already recorded a second song that they plan on releasing soon. With Shaquille O'Neal also recently releasing an EDM album this year titled "Gorilla Warfare," it's safe to say he's enjoying his retirement.

Looking at Shaquille O'Neal's love for music

While Shaquille O'Neal has always had a love for music, and even put an emphasis on it during his playing career, things have changed recently. Now, with his NBA career behind him, O'Neal isn't just dabbling in music, he's charging forward full steam ahead.

From exploring the EDM genre, performing in front of tens of thousands of fans, to making his return to hip-hop, Shaquille O'Neal is doing it all.

Washington Nationals v Philadelphia Phillies

Earlier this year, following the release of his song, "Bang Your Head," DJ Diesel released a statement that was relayed by EDM.com,

“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."

He added,

"In the NBA and the championships, you have parades, but then it’s all gone, and you need it back. 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.”

With another collab with Coyote on the way, O'Neal expects to surprise fans some more.