NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal took a trip down memory lane during his latest appearance on “Drink Champs.” He recalled the studio session between him and the late Notorious B.I.G. to record their 1996 single, “You Can’t Stop the Reign.”
In the interview, Shaq revealed that, at one point, he re-recorded his verse for the song in an effort to make sure that it was perfect for Big to hop on. “So when I finally got the word that Big was going to do it, I did a verse, but I didn’t like it,” he explained. “My thing is, Big [was] coming in. One, I gotta impress Big, cause if Big say, ‘No this is terrible,’ I’m done. I won’t get a second shot.”
Outside of being a four-time NBA champ, Shaq has always been vocal about his love for music. In fact, after signing to Jive Records in 1993, the former Los Angeles Laker released his debut album, Shaq Diesel. Ultimately the project peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200, but it wasn’t until his third studio album that Shaq worked alongside The Notorious B.I.G. for the synonymous title track.
“He’s like, ‘Ok big dog, that’s tight, that’s tight,” said Shaq, recalling the first time Big heard the song. “And then I said, ‘Ok, he likes it.’ I’m going to let him and Lil Cease do their thing. I said, ‘Here you go Big, here’s the pad and pen. Hit this button right here, I’m going to be in the house,’ and he’s like, ‘No. I’m ready now,’ and I said ‘What you mean ready right now,’ and he starts smiling, and he went in there, and he killed it.”
While Shaq says Big’s initial verse did not make the final cut for the song, he did reveal that he is the only person with access to the original copy. “I’m the only one that got it, and I’ll never play it. He went off and I d**n near had a tear in my eye cause I had to press that button and I’m like, ‘Umm Big,’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah, for the kids, for the kids. My bad Diesel,’ and then he did the verse in the song. I got it, but I’m not going to play it.”
The version of “You Can’t Stop the Reign” featuring The Notorious B.I.G. went on to peak at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot R&B Hip Hop Single and Tracks chart. There are three renditions of the song, including a DJ Quick remix as well as a single version with three verses from Shaq.
Watch Shaq’s full “Drink Champs” episode below.