Shaquille O'Neal brings Bass All-Stars concert to MyHouse in Columbia next week

Shaq. Shaq Fu. Superman. The Big Aristotle.

Whatever you call him, Shaquille O'Neal's immense impact on the world of sports and pop culture is undeniable. The four-time NBA champion goes by yet another name these days and, as Diesel, will bring his DJ talents to Columbia next week.

Shaq's Bass All-Stars, featuring a set from Diesel himself, as well as artists Space Laces, Sippy, Saient and Midas, will play at Sixth and Cherry Streets Thursday night, as part of local nightclub MyHouse's Blockfest.

The show, billed as a Road to Shaq's Bass All-Stars Festival date, precedes that event, which will be held Sept. 16 in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

"We are very excited to have one of the most recognizable people in the world coming to MyHouse," owner Dan Rader said in an email.

O'Neal is, of course, best known for a thunderous, 19-year NBA career which saw him play for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. His dominant inside presence yielded career averages of 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. The three-time NBA Finals MVP won a league MVP in 2000 and was named an All-Star 15 times.

Shaq's musical presence paralleled his basketball ascendance in the 1990s. The first of four hip-hop records, "Shaq Diesel," dropped in 1993. During that decade-long run, he collaborated with members of A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Warren G and more.

Of course, O'Neal has garnered considerable screen time over the years in films like "Blue Chips" and "Steel," and his successful, ongoing run on TNT's basketball show "Inside the NBA."

Leaning into the world of electronic music over the past several years, O'Neal has ridden a crescendo of his own making in 2023, playing Bonnaroo and releasing a trio of singles.

"Shaq’s sets are really high energy and he puts on a good show," Rader said. "People freak out when they see him walk on stage. So the anticipation and energy at his shows are huge. He plays a good mix of bass and recognizable hits which appeals to everyone."

And the road leading him through Columbia and to September's hurrah in Texas proves he hasn't lost a bit of his team mentality or competitive spirit.

"Some of these little guys on the lineup are just as good as the headliners, and that’s what Shaq’s Bass All-Stars is all about … It doesn’t matter who is performing if we are all together having a great time and headbanging," he told Billboard's Katie Bain this summer.

Rader and Co. brought their interest in bass music to the date, crafting a list of prospective acts to complement Diesel, he said.

"Space Laces was our number one choice," Rader added. "I actually feel extremely proud and lucky that we were able to get Space Laces to play our event because he’s a super influential and prestigious act in the bass genre. There are a lot of people coming just to see Space Laces."

DJ-ing scratches a definite itch for O'Neal, allowing him to "replace the Game 7 energy that I can’t seem to replicate anywhere else besides at music festivals," he told Billboard.

Doors for Thursday's show open at 6 p.m. As of Friday, Tier 4 general admission tickets were still available for $45; VIP tickets remained at $75.

MyHouse will keep the music going as fall approaches. Already on its calendar: a Sept. 15 date with Texas country stalwarts Eli Young Band. Learn more at https://myhousecomo.com/.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at [email protected] or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How to see Shaquille O'Neal, aka DJ Diesel, at a Columbia nightclub