Steve Aoki has linked up with Shaq, otherwise known as DJ Diesel, for a thumping new track titled “Welcome to the Playhouse.” It comes with a cosmic, party-oriented video that sees the creators turned into animated characters in a style not too far from the Gorillaz.
The new song is the first time the pair have joined forces and features Shaq rapping as Aoki handles the beat. Steve teased the song earlier this week by posting a photo on Twitter of him hugging Shaq’s torso.
“Banger alert. My next collab is with ??? Take a guess,” Aoki tweeted.
While the legendary ball player’s face was cropped out to preserve the mystery, it was very clear it was none other than Shaquille O’Neal.
In a press release Aoki stated, “Shaq and I have been wanting to collaborate on a track together for a while now, but it wasn’t until he came over to Aoki’s Playhouse one day that we finally found the inspiration for our collab. We hopped into the studio and the track just came together. That same kind of fun energy is carried through to the artwork and video as well, and I’m so excited to be kicking off the new year with this release.”
Shaq called the experience “a blast,” saying they “went back and forth for hours together in his studio and eventually ended up with one of my favorite DIESEL releases to date.”
Stream “Welcome to the Playhouse” below and catch the music video up top.
The song appropriately arrives just ahead of Shaq’s Fun House, a Feb. 11 event that will be part festival, part Super Bowl celebration. Set in Los Angeles at the Shrine Auditorium, Shaq’s Fun House will boast performances from Lil Wayne, Diplo, and Zedd. A press release notes it’s “the 4th year running that Shaquille will host the ultimate Friday night event leading into football’s biggest game of the year.”
“It’s always great to come home to my favorite city, Los Angeles, and I couldn’t be more excited to kick-off the biggest weekend in sports with our most over-the-top edition of Shaq’s Fun House to date,” O’Neal stated, teasing “a full carnival” and “a true taste of L.A. with food provided by some of the city’s best restaurants.”
“Welcome to the Playhouse” also comes as Aoki heads into the NFT space. The renowned DJ announced in November that he’s starting an NFT media marketplace with Spawn creator/comics legend Todd McFarlane called OddKey.com. Their marketplace, powered by Metaplex, was designed to make it easier for digital creators to enter the NFT world and sell their work safely.
“We’re not here to dictate people’s taste,” Aoki told Complex of the venture. “We’re here to deliver what they want, and hopefully so will some of the other creative people that come.”
