• May 9, 1995
• Shaboozey is a Nigerian-American alt-country rapper who defies categorization with his unique blend of genres. Imagine hip-hop swagger meeting twangy guitars and folksy storytelling – that's the world of Shaboozey.
  
  "I'm trying to make music that reflects where I come from, you know, what I mean, in the stories that I have in mind because I'm a storyteller," Shaboozey told Bet.com. "So making music that reflects my background, loving old trucks and open space. I'm just being free honestly."
• Shaboozey was born Collins Obinna Chibueze on May 9, 1995, in Fairfax, Virginia. His stage name is a playful twist on his last name, "Chibueze," which means "God is king" in Igbo.
• Inspired by music videos and his time at a Nigerian boarding school, Shaboozey developed a passion for music creation. He burst on the scene with his single, "Jeff Gordon," which was released in 2014 and was signed to Republic Records three years later after catching their attention with such songs as "Starfoxx" and "Robert Plant." A wider audience discovered him in 2018 through his collaboration with Duckwrth on the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack cut "Start a Riot."
• In 2024, he collaborated with Beyoncé on two tracks from her album Cowboy Carter: "Spaghettii" and "Sweet Honey Buckiin'."
  
  Beyoncé had some big-name guests on the album (Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton) but also several who weren't well known, like Shaboozey, Brittany Spencer and Reyna Roberts. They all got a huge bump thanks to their contributions.
• Shaboozey's talents extend beyond the recording booth. He founded V Picture Films in 2014, hinting at his interest in visual storytelling alongside music creation.
• He got the name Shaboozey when his high school football coach mispronounced his last name, which is spelled "Chibueze" and pronounced "Chee-BWAY-zay." His teammates thought this was pretty funny, so they started calling him that and the name stuck.
• Shaboozey is known for his keen sense of fashion. In 2025 he made the cover of People magazine's "Hot Guy Summer" issue.
• He showed up in a 2025 Super Bowl commercial for Nerds singing "What A Wonderful World" and walking around New Orleans (where the game was played) with animated versions of the candy.
• Before he had label backing or chart momentum, Shaboozey acted as his own manager. He booked shows, pitched blogs, and handled promotion himself, sometimes emailing industry contacts while posing as his own representative. The approach wasn't a stunt but a natural extension of his entrepreneurial upbringing: His father ran businesses and encouraged independence long before Shaboozey settled into a musical identity.
• Shaboozey often writes with the stage in mind. While developing songs, he thinks about crowd reaction - where listeners will sing along, move, or shout - which helps explain why many of his tracks feature chant-ready hooks and rhythmically complex verses.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Killing In The NameRage Against the Machine

Tired of X-Factor winners getting the UK Christmas #1, British Facebook users staged a successful campaign to download "Killing In The Name" by Rage Against The Machine enough times to boost the song to the top in 2009, blocking the X-Factor single by Joe McElderry.

GloryJay-Z

Jay-Z's 2012 "Glory" features his daughter Blue Ivy Carter's cries and coos. At less than two days old, she became the youngest ever credited artist to feature on a Billboard chart when the song debuted on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at #74.

Writing's On The WallSam Smith

Sam Smith's "Writing's On The Wall" was the first ever James Bond theme song to reach #1 in the UK.

TendernessGeneral Public

"Tenderness" by General Public was partly inspired by the outbreak of AIDS, which at the time was thought to be contagious.

BlackstarDavid Bowie

At 9:57, David Bowie's "Blackstar" was the longest song to reach the Hot 100 until 2019, when Tool bested the record with the 10:21 "Fear Inoculum."

TrueSpandau Ballet

"True" by Spandau Ballet is about chief songwriter Gary Kemp's unrequited love for Altered Images singer and Gregory's Girl star Clare Grogan.

Editor's Picks

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.