In today's edition of 'nu metal popping up in the most unexpected places', it turns out one of the most famous basketball players of all time has gone and sampled one of nu metal's most iconic anthems.
Shaquille O'Neal, the 7 foot 1 powerhouse center who won three back-to-back NBA championships with the LA Lakers in the early 2000s, has surprise-released what he's described as a "freestyle" rap, featuring him dropping bars over beats that sample Drowning Pool's legendary 2001 rock club floor-filler, Bodies. The track, titled Thotties Hit The Floor, comes accompanied by a ridiculous video starring Shaq driving a truck as he spits out rhymes left right and centre.
"Lil Freestyle for y’all," says Shaq on TikTok. "Never would i have thought DJing would get me here!! But when it’s your time, it’s YOUR TIME. Im beyond grateful 🙏🏿 Thotties Hit The Floor (MONSTER MASHUP) ft. Me, Lex Bratcher, Scar Lip."
Watch the (surprisingly not bad!) new take on a classic track below.
@shaq Lil Freestyle for y’all. Never would i have thought DJing would get me here!! But when it’s your time, it’s YOUR TIME. Im beyond grateful 🙏🏿 Thotties Hit The Floor (MONSTER MASHUP) ft. Me, Lex Bratcher, Scar Lip
♬ original sound - ShaqDieselONeal
Shaquille O'Neal is no stranger to rap music, having released four hip hop albums between 1993 and 1998, with a fifth, Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1, never seeing release.
Bodies was originally released on Drowning Pool's 2001 debut album, Sinner, catapulting the Dallas, Texas four-piece to immediate fame after becoming one of the biggest songs of the nu metal era. Sadly, the band never got to fully capitalise on their fame, with frontman Dave Williams being found dead on Drowning Pool's tourbus while on the road in Manassas, Virginia, in August 2002, just over a year after Sinner's release. The Texans have worked with various vocalists since, including Soil singer Ryan McCombs, who rejoined Drowning Pool for a second stint with the band earlier this year.
