Shaboozey, born Collins Obinna Chibueze, has gone from a Virginia-based upstart to one of the brightest stars on the global stage. His rise hit full throttle in 2024 after lending vocals to two tracks on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and storming to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
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So meteoric has his ascent been that this year the NFL tapped him to headline its late-autumn classic, belting out his chart-topping hits after the Lions and Bears cleared the field. Yet, fittingly for a star whose story carries a NASCAR flavor, the launchpad for his music career traces back to Jeff Gordon.
Chibueze’s journey began in earnest in 2014 when he dropped his debut single, “Jeff Gordon.” Growing up, he soaked in a kaleidoscope of influences, Fela Kuti, Lil Wayne, Clipse, Roger Waters, and even the Grateful Dead. The result was a sound that refused to fit in any one box, a blend as unpredictable as it was fresh.
From rapping about NASCAR to reigning over the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 straight weeks, Shaboozey made out a lane few could have imagined. A decade after releasing “Jeff Gordon,” he shared a stage with the man who inspired it, introducing Gordon as the reason his career ever took flight.
“And I want to say a quick shoutout, you’re (Gordon) the reason I make country music. The first song I ever made that got me any sort of notoriety was named after this guy, and inspired by this guy,” Shaboozey said before embracing the four-time Cup champion.
Later, interacting with Gordon, Shaboozey told him that “I started watching all your races just like learning the history.” When Gordon joked, “You’re keeping me relevant,” the singer offered a heartfelt reply:
“They don’t even know that side of me. But like anyone back home is going to watch that and be like, they’d probably shed tears. Because they know we were in basements performing for like 10 people. So, thank you so much, brother.”
Shaboozey went from rapping about NASCAR to ruling the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 straight weeks.
A decade after dropping his first single Jeff Gordon, he shared the stage with the legend himself. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/615x2b6HbF
— Motorsport (@Motorsport) September 19, 2025
Three years after that debut single, “Jeff Gordon,” Chibueze signed his first major record deal with Republic Records, marking the partnership with his 2017 debut album, Lady Wrangler. His follow-up, Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die, cemented him as one of alt-country’s most compelling voices.
But it was his third album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, that turned him into an international phenomenon. With “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” ruling the Billboard Hot 100 for 18 consecutive weeks, longer than any other track this year, he planted his flag in music history.
Now 29, Shaboozey finds himself in elite company. He has racked up six Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year, Best Country Solo Performance, and Best New Artist, already adding hardware to his growing collection. The way the tide is rolling, it looks like the treasure chest will only get fuller.
Other songs that mention Jeff Gordon
Gordon remains the most name-dropped NASCAR driver in rap, a cultural reference point whose legacy stretches far beyond the track. His name surfaces in “One Day” from YFN Lucci and Trouble, “Right on Time” by Little Brother, “Believe” with Quavo, A-Trak, and Lil Yachty, and “London Town” from A$AP Nast alongside A$AP Rocky, A$AP Mob, A$AP Ant, and Playboi Carti.
He also earned a nod in “The Purple Tape” with Method Man, Raekwon, and Inspectah Deck, among countless others.
One of the most memorable shoutouts came in Nelly’s hit “E.I.,” where the St. Louis rapper dropped the line, “I drive fastly, call me Jeff Gordon/ in a black SS with the navigation,” cementing the NASCAR veteran’s name in hip-hop folklore as shorthand for speed and swagger.
