21-year-old rapper Shepherd released a special version of his arena-anthem “Gametime” featuring NBA superstar and legend, Shaquille O’Neal – listen HERE. After making waves with the release of the original track, it quickly amassed over 5 million streams and caught the attention of Shaq himself who decided to jump on it.
“I wrote ‘Gametime’ so the fans could have something to motivate themselves to get up and fight for their dreams and purpose” says Shepherd. Shepherd says on having Shaq on his song, “Having Shaq on my record is literally an unreal experience. Tag teaming with arguably one of the best basketball players of all time is unmatched! ”
Shaquille O’Neal goes by many monikers, most recently, as an EDM DJ going by DJ Diesel. Shaq’s presence in pop culture hasn’t waned since he came crashing into the NBA scene in 1992. A ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ celebrity that can still be seen as host on Inside the NBA on TNT has proved his staying power across multiple facets of both sports and entertainment.
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About Shepherd:
21-year-old rapper, Shepherd, has been making waves with his scorching sports anthem, “Gametime”, quickly earning spots in Spotify’s Viral Top 50 charts in 8 countries. Playing in arenas across the country as well as during the Toronto Raptors championship parade, the song has amassed over 5 million streams and climbing, the original song caught the ear of NBA Hall of Famer and cultural icon, Shaquille O’Neal. Energized so much by the track, Shaq decided to dust off the microphone and come out of hip-hop retirement. Never one to do things small scaled, Shaq delivers in a big way heading into the NBA season, kicking off next month.
Shepherd, also a former athlete, is a Miami native who now resides in Chicago. Having excelled as a linebacker in high school, Shepherd is able to speak to the heart of the athlete through his music. Spanning between new school and old school, Shepherd is influenced by some of the best the rap game has to offer, including Kanye West, Outkast, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Lecrae, just to name a few. While both music and sports are focal points for Shepherd, so is serving his community , where he mentors high school students from the west side of Chicago hoping to impart the change he hopes to see in the city.
“I wrote ‘Gametime’ so the fans could have something to motivate themselves to get up and fight for their dreams and purpose. As a former high school varsity linebacker, I remember the intense practices, countless hours in the field and the constant tensions of growth. But when game day came and I heard the crowd scream, saw the cheerleaders dance and witnessed the fear in the opposite team’s eyes, I knew it was all worth it. All the early mornings and late nights. All the sacrifice, all the pain and the feeling of when you’re on the field right before the game and knowing you prepared for it. I wanted to achieve all of those emotions in this song. “
Shepherd says on having Shaq on his song, “Having Shaq on my record is literally an unreal experience. Tag teaming with arguably one of the best basketball players of all time is unmatched! I know it’s something new to hip hop and trailblazes a new path between rap and sports. I feel like it’s a unique opportunity that hasn’t been seen at this level before”.
Shaquille O’Neal goes by many monikers, most recently, as an EDM DJ going by DJ Diesel. Shaq’s presence in pop culture hasn’t waned since he came crashing into the NBA scene in 1992. A ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ celebrity that can still be seen as host on Inside The NBA on TNT has proved his staying power across multiple facets of both sports and entertainment.
