Flipperachi Collaboration with Shaquille O’Neal

The latest single from Bahraini rapper Flipperachi, whose real name is Hussam Aseem, may contain one of the most bizarre collaborations we’ve seen in a long time.

This recent single, “Shaq on Yas,” features the veteran Bahraini rapper, Flipperachi and the prominent basketball icon, Shaq O’Neal.

This rap track is done with a vibrant video capturing shots around the island’s most renowned attractions for Yas Island’s latest campaign “What Can’t We Do?.”

The campaign hero film transforms Yas Island’s finest sites into a stage for fun, thrills, and all things larger-than-life, seeking to answer the question “What Can’t Yas Do?”

Riding on vintage hip-hop beats from the 1990s, the song showcases Yas Island’s family-friendly attractions, such as the rides at SeaWorld Yas Island and Warner Bros.

It also showcases places like Abu Dhabi, “the green to play” at Yas Links Golf Club, and the Yas Bay promenade, which is designed for “foodies and OGs who love cuisine.”

Flipperachi on the Collaboration

For Flipperachi who grew up witnessing O’Neal’s spectacular rebounds and thunderous dunks during his NBA glory days in the mid-1990s, the partnership is a dream come true.

Flipperachi tells The National, “The whole thing still feels crazy to me because Shaq was someone I followed as a big basketball fan, and some people forget that he also rapped and released records.”

Writing their verses and recording the song from a distance was a new method for both Flipperachi and O’Neal with only O’Neal being featured in the video in Yas Island.

Flipperachi recalled that it was a back-and-forth process since O’Neal was in the U.S. while he was in Bahrain.

He said “I would write down the lyrics, send them over, and we would work on it remotely. Ultimately, it was a great experience because, at the end of the day, I knew Shaq approved of it all.”

In terms of Flipperachi’s heritage, Shaq didn’t have any cause for concern because the man has been a prominent artist of Khaleeji hip-hop for almost 20 years.

With his upcoming record, which will be out later this year, Flipperachi is stepping up his efforts in that direction.

He underlines that the further growth and development of Arabic hip-hop will be facilitated by its diversity.

He says Arabic hip-hop requires a great deal of diversity and he loves it when people come up with new ideas while still staying true to themselves.