[Note: Shaq actually said, “I want Drake to know that Drake has a great sense of humor”? He did not say “I want people to know …”?]
Shaquille O’Neal caught some flak for posting a doctored photo of himself and Drake in a bathing suit by the pool.
The image shared by O’Neal was originally from a 2019 trip to Spain and involved then-27-year-old model Danielle Dilworth, but someone altered the head on the photo and replaced it with that of the recently defeated rap icon.
Shaq apologizes to Drake for posting a "BBL Drizzy" edit of him 🙏
The beating Kendrick Lamar put on Drake in the latest epic rap battle in hip-hop history and the way it also brought Cali hip-hop culture back to the forefront has been the talk of the music industry. After Lamar dropped “They Not Like Us,” Drake scrubbed his social media of any evidence of a past battle and calmly slid out of the beef, while social media and other artists went crazy, taking shots at Drake and diminishing the authenticity of his career.
Shaq got on the bandwagon of jokes and insults directed toward Drake, which some found kind of classless from the big fella. We also know that Shaq is a comedian and he’s not afraid to crack jokes on anybody.
“Let me apologize real quick. I sent out a picture the other day. The mistake I made was I shoulda said, ‘Who did this?’ I want Drake to know that Drake has a great sense of humor. I thought it was funny that they did it. I saw people saying, ‘Shaq’s trolling.’ I am not trolling; I didn’t photoshop it; somebody photoshopped it and I actually saw it and took the picture because I thought it was funny. Once it went viral, I definitely took it down.”
Fans were not quick to give Shaq a pass as they have in the past with other actions that seemed to cross the line.
One responded: “Naaaaaaaa, there’s no way he can justify some s**t like that.”
Someone else claimed, “It’s a Good thing he apologized. I was sure offended. Oh, yeah, this is Drake speaking to you right now. I know a lot of you think I lost the rap battle, but any attention is good attention in this world. I mean, look, you’re making posts about me right now.”
At the same time, it’s funny that anyone thinks Shaq would take the time out to photoshop a picture of Drake while building a $500 million fortune. There were some Drake supporters who thanked the four-time Grammy winner for having the guts to engage in lyrical warfare with titans of the game and give fans memories that last a lifetime.
Another user stated, “One day, you’ll realize how Drake carries this industry when he’s gone… Bro gave us three of the best rap battles in the last 15 years.”
Shaq’s post and apology comes just days after Kendrick Lamar’s “The Pop Out — Ken and Friends” concert. Curiously, Shaq posted it right after the Kendrick Live show on Amazon. He says he didn’t know that Kendrick had just had his concert and claims the timing of the photo wasn’t calculated or intentional.
“Drake, I apologize. My bad big Drake,” Shaq said.
BBL Drizzy: Shaq Posts Photoshopped Image Of Drake In Black Bikini
On Sunday, June 23, Shaq joined the fray by sharing the photoshopped image of the Toronto rapper in a black bikini on a yacht.
Shaq, who won three championships with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the 2000s, paired the Instagram Story with Metro Boomin’s “BBL Drizzy” instrumental in the backdrop.
At 32:49 mark:
Drake has enough money and fame to go into a bunker for a bit, record a new album, release it and all of this will probably be forgotten. For now, he has to take this L and backlash from Shaq whose G-14 classification exempts him from any criticism, including that of his porous free throw shooting throughout his career.
When challenged on his well-chronicled struggles at the charity stripe, Shaq reminds us that “I won three championships in a row.” None of that matters.
Drake probably feels the same way about his unprecedented run in the rap game.
