Shaboozey Artistfacts

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.

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