Who is Gillie Da King? Meet the Philadelphia rapper, podcaster and unofficial Eagles hype man
Gillie Da King has been going viral throughout the entire Philadelphia Eagles' season, especially during the team's run to the Super Bowl.
Gillie started celebratory Eagles dance parties outside of his house after wins, and now they've transitioned to outside Lincoln Financial Field and even inside the team's locker room.
Here's what you need to know about the Philadelphia rapper, podcaster and unofficial Eagles hype man as the team attempts to win its second Super Bowl in franchise history in a rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Who is Gillie Da King?
Gillie, whose real name is Nasir Fard, is a North Philly native. He's 41 years old and was born on Jan. 1, 1984. Before he was Gillie Da King, he was known as "Gillie Da Kid."
Gillie emerged in the Philadelphia underground rap scene in the late 1990s with the group Major Figgas.
Major Figgas signed with RuffNation Records and released "Figgas 4 Life" in 2000, which peaked at No. 115 on the Billboard 200 and No. 29 on the top R&B/Hip-Hop albums. The group was short-lived and disbanded years later.
Gillie also had a career as a solo artist and signed with Cash Money Records, but he never released music with the label.
Due to troubles with Cash Money, Gillie left the label in 2006 and became independent. During his exit, Gillie claimed he was a ghostwriter on Lil Wayne's 2004 "Tha Carter" album, which sparked beef between the two artists.
Gillie's claims of ghostwriting for Lil Wayne put him into the national spotlight. Cash Money has since denied Gillie was a ghostwriter for Lil Wayne on his 2004 album.
As a solo artist, Gilliie released multiple albums, including "King of Philly" in 2008, "I Am Philly" in 2009," "Welcome to Gilladelphia" in 2015 and "Millions Dollars Worth of Game" in 2017.
Nearly two years ago, Gillie's son, Devin Spadey, who was known as a rapper called "YNG Cheese," was killed in a triple shooting in the city's Olney neighborhood.
What's Gillie Da King's podcast?
Gillie hosts a podcast with his cousin, Wallo, called "Million Dollaz Worth of Game," which releases new episodes every week on Barstool Sports.
Wallo was a member of Major Figgas, but he was sentenced to a 20-year prison sentence on armed robbery charges before the recording of "Figgas 4 Life." He was released in 2017.
Gillie and Wallo have had plenty of big names on their podcasts, including Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, rapper Ice Cube, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey and many more.
Gillie Da King's Eagles fandom
Like most Philadelphians, Gillie isn't shy about his Eagles fandom.
Gillie, who is usually rocking an oversized Eagles hat, has become the Birds' unofficial hype man for the 2024 season and their quest for the second Super Bowl in franchise history.
Gillie has run out of the tunnel with the team before playoff games. He's led dance parties inside the locker room with players and outside Lincoln Financial Field in the snow to the tune of Too Short's "Blow the Whistle" with fans. The song has become synonymous with Birds wins throughout the season.
Gillie started the "Blow the Whistle" dance videos on his Instagram account earlier in the season. It eventually turned into a weekly event, and his neighbors joined him in participating. Heck, Too Short even joined him before the divisional round game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The song blared out the speakers at the Linc as the Eagles dominated the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.
In past Super Bowl Eagles runs, Philadelphia rappers have played a role in each.
During Super Bowl LII, the 2017 Eagles team ran out of the tunnel to Meek Mill's "Dreams and Nightmares."
The 2022 Eagles team ran out of the tunnel in Super Bowl LVII against the Chiefs to Lil Uzi Vert's "Just Wanna Rock."
Will the 2024 run out of the tunnel to "Blow the Whistle" with Gillie leading the way? We'll find out soon.