Leave it to the Arizona Cardinals to shake up the NFL’s schedule release day with something completely unexpected.
While teams across the league rolled out flashy trailers, skits, and pop culture mashups, the Cardinals went straight to the mic — literally. Arizona linebacker Mack Wilson Sr., who also performs under the name "Rocketship," wrote and performed an original rap titled “18 Bars” to accompany the team’s full 2025 schedule release. And it didn’t stop at just the audio.
The Cardinals produced a full-blown music video featuring Wilson rapping through the entire slate of opponents, with appearances from teammates, custom visuals, and nods to each game baked directly into the lyrics. The video dropped Wednesday evening and immediately turned heads — not just for the creativity, but for the quality of the track itself.
Wondering what the hype about? Come around and find out. pic.twitter.com/gWbYHYdKsx
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) May 15, 2025
Wilson’s passion for music isn’t new, but blending it with football in such a bold and original way gave the Cardinals an edge in what’s become an unofficial competition across the league. Fans can now stream the song on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, making it the rare schedule release video that doubles as an actual track you can bump in the car.
In true concert fashion, the team followed up the video with a schedule graphic styled like a hip-hop tour poster and even updated its profile picture to match the theme.
In a day where every team tries to go bigger and louder, the Cardinals dropped the mic — and may have just stolen the show.
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