Shaq weighs in on Meek Mill’s Kobe Bryant lyric controversy

By Josh Hill | Feb 23, 2021

Shaquille O'Neal (L) and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers talk during the 1st quarter of game two of the NBA Finals against the New Jersey Nets 07 June 2002 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. AFP PHOTO/Lucy NICHOLSON (Photo by LUCY NICHOLSON / AFP) (Photo credit should read LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP via Getty Images) /

The Los Angeles Lakers legend addresses the controversial lyric referencing Kobe Bryant’s death.

As Shaquille O’Neal puts it, the world of hip-hop is all about word play and metaphors. Meek Mill is being reminded to choose those metaphors carefully, as the Philly rapper has caught a wave of intense backlash following the leak of lyric that references the death of Kobe Bryant.

The lyric for the unreleased song goes: “If I ever lack I’m goin’ out with my choppa, it be another Kobe.”

Kobe was killed along with his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers aboard a helicopter when it crashed into a Calabasas hillside last January.

Shaq noted that while he believes it’s too soon for this type of reference, he doesn’t think Meek Mill was trying to be malicious.

“I know Meek, it wasn’t personal,” Shaq told FanSided’s Mark Carman. “The world of hip-hop is all about who can say the nastiest and trickiest metaphors. I’m sure he’s feeling pretty down about all the backlash that he’s taken.”

Meek Mill privately apologized to Vanessa Bryant over Kobe lyric

Vanessa Bryant spoke out against the lyric, calling it ‘disrespectful’ and urging Meek to find a better way to show admiration for her late husband.

“Dear @meekmill, I find this line to be extremely insensitive and disrespectful. Period. I am not familiar with any of your music, but I believe you can do better than this,” Bryant wrote on her Instagram story. “If you are a fan, fine, there’s a better way to show your admiration for my husband. This lacks respect and tact.”

Meek Mill announced that he had privately apologized to Vanessa, but would not be issuing any public apology.

Shaq doesn’t think the backlash about the lyric is unwarranted, but doesn’t believe Meek meant to be harmful when he wrote the lyric.

”You have to understand, it wasn’t a personal attack,” Shaq said. “I know what he was trying to do but it just didn’t come off correctly and it was probably way too soon for that.”

In Shaq’s mind, Meek owning up to his error in judgement to the people that it hurt the most goes a long way.

“He apologized to Vanessa in private, and that’s all we can ask him to do.”

Shaq spoke on behalf of The General.