July 09, 2023 (GCDC) - On a cool summer night in Calgary, NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal aka DJ Diesel, turned up the heat on the Big Four Roadhouse stage with a 45-minute set filled with EDM, Trap, and hip-hop music.
For Shaq, the anticipation of approaching a set of turntables evokes the same emotions as walking down a media-filled tunnel to an NBA game. With that experience, Shaq stood tall on the Bud Light Stage, at the precipice of admiration before a packed crowd, and dropped the beat.
“I do this for fun, I lose money every show, but this hour is similar to the hour and a half I would have playing four quarters, so that’s why I do it,” said Shaq.
This was Shaq’s second time visiting Calgary, but it wasn’t his first rodeo as DJ Diesel. He started spinning when he was 14 years old, and in 1993 his rap album ‘Shaq Diesel’ sold over a million copies and hit number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Shaq released a new song called Heat on the same day as his Stampede performance and says he is looking for up-and-coming musicians to share the spotlight with.