EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. — NBA Youngboy might hype up players in the locker room, but North Carolina A&T Shawn Gibbs says the rapper can’t win games for the HBCU. The Aggies’ head coach, who is in his second year at the helm, went viral this week after comments surfaced about pregame music and the difference between hype and execution.
NBA Youngboy, a chart-topping Louisiana rapper with one of the biggest followings in hip hop, is a favorite among players at the HBCU and elsewhere. Gibbs acknowledged the energy his music brings before kickoff but reminded his team that it fades when the whistle blows.
“Our locker room before the game, oh they’d be in trouble when we listen to that NBA Youngboy,” Gibbs said. “But once the game starts, where does all that go? When that guy in the white hat puts the ball down, it’s time to go. What are you going to do then?”
HBCU re-building from the bottom
The viral soundbite reflects a larger theme Gibbs has preached since his return to the once-dominant HBCU program. North Carolina A&T had won only two games in the two seasons before he took over. This year, the Aggies already have one win and have come close in several others, including a narrow 37-30 loss to Maine.
Still, Gibbs warns that the road back to respectability is steep. He calls it “coming from the bottom” — a process that requires changing not just schemes, but culture.
This week, he spoke about the dangers of “nonbelief” and how too many around the program have grown tolerant of losing. For him, hype is temporary; belief and preparation are permanent.
North Carolina A&T players echo coach
Defensive end Tim Alderman, one of the top defenders in the CAA, said the team must commit to doing their “one-eleventh” every play. “We just have to get everyone to believe,” Tim said after the Maine game.
Return specialist Elijah Kennedy, who leads the league in punt returns, added that Gibbs has built “an environment where we can follow and believe.”
NBA Youngboy might stay, but players’ must change
For Gibbs, the point is clear: pregame energy from NBA Youngboy can’t replace fundamentals, execution, and effort. Until North Carolina A&T turns belief into knowing, the HBCU squad will remain a work in progress.
And while the Aggies’ playlist might stay the same, their coach insists wins will only come when hype meets preparation.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by HBCU Gameday editorial staff for accuracy and clarity.