The Los Angeles Lakers are embroiled in a highly
competitive Championship Series against the Detroit Pistons, but that hasn’t
stopped Shaq from engaging in a battle far more personal.
The basketball juggernaut has turned his lyrical
aggression to rapper Skillz even though he’s looking for yet another championship
ring. Shaq went at the Virginia-bred rapper like he was
a loose ball under the rim on a recent Sickamore mixtape titled “Drop Another Day. The exclusive track was produced by beat maestro JiCe of Sizzle Records for Shaq’s lyrical pleasure. ”
dont care how “mad” your “skillz” is you cant serve me/
You don’t like these, take off my throwback jersey/ Lil’ ni**as better
stay in their place/ hold you hostage in the toilet and s**t on your face…Matter
of fact I don’t know what you look like/ you be spittin metaphors like
you a geek Canibus studio book type/ I ain’t into f**kin’ beefs and
battles/ I’m into smackin’ n***as back into playing with rattles…/Don’t
respond, don’t reply, layoff/ Give this autograph to your mom and watch
me in the playoffs.”
A confused Skillz said people around him began
to inform him of the dis, but he was unable to determine why the 7’ 1”
hooper would want to battle.
"I tried to give him the benefit of the
doubt, like I kept telling myself he can’t be talking about me,” Skillz
told AllHipHop.com. “Then [the speculation] turned into, ‘If it ain’t
you then who’s he talking about?’ And it wasn’t any candidates left. I
wouldn’t really pay attention to it if other people didn’t, you know?”
Furthermore, Skillz said that this rap battle
was much different than playing the Pistons on the basketball court and therefore
in his favor.
“It’s a lyrical mismatch; him going
at me is like me coming down the [basketball] lane at him. It’s actually
kind of funny,” Skillz exclaimed. “But the streets ain’t gonna
stop talking about until I answer. Plus I talk too much s**t to not answer back,”
he said.
Because of Skillz admission, AllHipHop.com engaged
in its own investigation.
Shaq, who has dropped several platinum albums,
might be coming to the defense of teammate and former rapper Kobe Bryant, who
is currently accused of rape.
In his “2003 Rap Up” freestyle, Skillz
rhymed, “The dummy move of the year that would be Kobe Bryant/ y’all
think she lyin’ that’s the second time Kobe been on TV cryin’ I’m
like, ‘Damn Kobe in high school you was the man Kobe/ What the hell happened
to you?”
Also, Skillz once rapped with a crew called
the Supafriends from Virginia and Shaq considers himself to be basketball’s
Superman. He even dropped an album called Shaquille O’Neal Presents His Superfriends
in 2001.
Next week, Skillz said he would have an answer
record for Shaq.