Miami rapper Shepherd released a special version of his arena-anthem “Gametime” featuring NBA superstar and legend Shaquille O’Neal. The original version of the track quickly amassed 5 million streams landing on one of Spotify’s largest curated playlists Beast Mode 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. “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.”
