You Can't Stop the Reign 1996 Album

Shaquille O'Neal

While The Game is a better rapper, I think the same sort of things can be said for Shaq and his albums. He is a student of the game, has a good ear for beats and surrounds himself with the right people. He really did get the best of the best. A case in point is 'Game of Death' that features a great Rakim verse that pushes Shaq to spit fantastically as well. Then you've got Biggie, DJ Quik, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, Trackmasters, Darkchild, Easy Mo Bee, etc, and that makes for another more than decent album from Shaq. The production seems to be more sample heavy than his first two, and has a slightly softer sound, but it mostly still maintains that east coast boom bap sound. Quik doesn't let us down with the funky 'Strait Playin''. Being a huge Michael Jackson fan, it is weird hearing Biggie's 'Unbreakable' verse on 'Still Can't Stop the Reign'. For an album with 15 songs (minus the interludes) this is a lot more consistent that you'd expect. 'Big Dog Stomp' and the extra songs that hardly feature Shaq are the only ones I'm really looking to skip. Best Tracks: Still Can't Stop the Reign, Strait Playin', Best to Worst, Legal Money, Edge of Night, Game of Death