1999 Write the Future Teams Up With Basketball & Music Legend Shaquille O'Neal on New Single

Continuing to transcend expectations, music collective 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE releases new single “Raw I Know I Got It” featuring NBA legend, rapper and DJ Shaquille O’Neal, aka DIESEL, alongside Los Angeles-based DJ & producer NITTI. 

“Raw I Know I Got It” is a minute and a half-long victory lap from the Hall of Fame basketball player, who intros the track with audio of him being picked number one overall at the 1992 NBA Draft. Backed by a beat as big as the former Lakers center, SHAQ drops bar after bar about smashing backboards, his “quadruple platinum” NBA record and obtaining global respect. Long revered in the industry, Shaquille O'Neal has dominated hip hop with certified hits like “What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock)” and “Bodies Freestyle,” as well as electronic music under the alias DIESEL with tracks like “Bang Your Head,” “Gorilla Warfare” and “Heat.” In “Raw I Know I Got It,” SHAQ puts his musical chops on display for 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE, name-dropping his All-Star crew, from Inside the NBA co-panelist Kenny Smith to the late legend Kobe Bryant.

The new track follows the releases of 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE’s latest singles “fIT chECK fREEsTYle” with pop experimentalist Jean Dawson, “WhAT yoU WaNT” with genre-bending artist Deb Never and “PUMP IT UP ε=┌(^_^)┘,” featuring Indonesian rap powerhouse, singer and producer Rich Brian and breakout rapper TiaCorine.

Earlier this year, 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE released their debut compilation project, hella (˃̣̣̥╭╮˂̣̣̥) ✧ ♡ ‧º·˚:, which features genre-spanning collaborations from the likes of Rich Brian, Warren Hue, Ghostface Killah, Busta Rhymes, Smino, Cuco, Amaarae, Offset, BADBADNOTGOOD, Westside Gunn, Dumbfoundead and more. The album boasts A-list features across 24 songs, pulling back the curtain on 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE’S anachronistic lore while capturing the sights, sounds and vibrancy of Northern California culture and beyond, through the lens of 88rising honcho Sean Miyashiro’s childhood nostalgia and wonder. Listen to the full project HERE.