T.I., Shaq Compare Current Hip-Hop Landscape To NBA Landscape, And It Ain’t Good

Armon Sadler
·2 min read
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It seems like conversations about the current state of Hip-Hop will never end, but they get the people talking, so why wouldn’t podcasters continue to bring it up?

T.I. recently likened today’s young crop of rappers to the NBA if it were to allow just anyone to play in the league.

The Atlanta rapper joined Shaquille O’Neal for an episode of The Big Podcast last Wednesday (Feb. 28), with Shaq asking TIP how he felt about newer rappers compared to young NBA players. “This generation reminds me of every other generation,” TIP said in the clip. “You got some people who are exceptionally dope, and some people who are just alright. You know what I mean?”

The ATL actor acknowledged that the space has grown, saying there is “a lot more of it to choose from now.” The NBA legend interjected and said “too much” in an exasperated tone before the Paper Trail rapper continued his thought.

“I feel that, actually, what they’ve done with music is equivalent to if they were to open up the doors of the arena and say, ‘anybody think you can play basketball? Come on out the stands out here to the floor. Here go you a jersey, man. Get in the game,” T.I. said.

Shaquille O’Neal stood firm in his negative stance, replying “I just don’t like that they don’t respect people like us who paved the way for them.” TIP asked if he was talking about music, and Shaq clarified that he meant both rappers and hoopers. Diesel clearly had something to get off of his chest.

While T.I. acknowledges the expansive Hip-Hop landscape of today and the pervasive skill gap, he has still taken an interest in working with newer acts. He joined JID and Jacquees on Killer Mike’s “Maynard Vignette” from the deluxe version of MICHAEL. He also linked up with Symba and Wiz Khalifa on DJ Drama’s “No Weakness” from this March 2023 album I’m Really Like That. Listen to “Maynard Vignette” below.

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