Cedar Rapids rapper’s song featured in Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade video

CEDAR RAPIDS — While Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs took their victory lap Wednesday in the post-Super Bowl parade, the soundtrack featured in the official parade video and commercial was from Cedar Rapids rapper Antonio “Tone da Boss” Chalmers — the song “Victory Lap,” produced by Waterloo artist LyriKalTMG.

This isn’t the first time Chalmers’ music has been used nationally. In 2022, “Give Me My Ring” was featured in the Golden State Warriors’ NBA championship parade video. Both were orchestrated by Let It Fly Media, a Kansas City content agency that serves high- profile clients like the NBA, NFL, NASCAR and ESPN.

“ … They have this huge library of celebrity songs and somehow they found my song, ‘Give Me My Ring,’ last year,” Chalmers said.

After the Golden State Warriors video, Chalmers sent the agency “Victory Lap.” Chalmers said within 24 hours of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win Sunday, Let It Fly was in contact about using the song. As of Friday afternoon, the video from this week’s parade had more than 160,000 views on Twitter.

Victory Lap 🏆@GEHAhealth @LetItFlyMedia pic.twitter.com/P3NdCYXmkp

— KC Sports Commission (@SportKC) February 16, 2023

Chalmers said he was satisfied with securing the feature, but his T1 Entertainment business partner Derek “Silence” Bailey pushed Chalmers to go to the parade.

Manifesting opportunities

When Chalmers and his T1 Entertainment team arrived Tuesday night in Kansas City, Chalmers hadn’t booked a live performance. The group played “Victory Lap” on a Bluetooth speaker while they walked around.

One of Chalmers’ associates, R&B artist Tevin Jones, struck up conversation with a “guy that just so happened is the DJ at the parade.” Jones told him why the group was in town and the DJ offered to play “Victory Lap” in his set during the parade.

Another surprise was around the corner. During the parade, the DJ spotted Chalmers and asked him to perform at the bar Prime on Grand Avenue. Chalmers agreed.

“ … I really do feel like I manifested it because I was asked by several people, ‘Are you performing at the parade?’ And I wouldn’t say no … I said that’s not in the cards just yet,” Chalmers said. “But I really believed that we were going to figure it out one way or another.”

The bar’s owner asked Chalmers to return to Kansas City in April for another performance.

“We just kept shaking hands and taking pictures and exchanging social media and, you know, now we’re kind of building something there that’s phenomenal.”

Chalmers has two young daughters. He laughed recalling his eldest daughter LaNyah’s reaction to his time in Kansas City.

“I did have to explain to my oldest, like, ‘Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t pick you up from school like I normally do every day but here’s why.’ And she just smiled big ear to ear and the first thing she asked me, she’s like, ‘So are we going to be rich from this?’”

The climb to Kansas City

Chalmers is a Chicago native, but after 23 years living in Iowa, he considers Cedar Rapids home. In addition to his work as a rapper and DJ, Chalmers is the chef executive officer of T1 Entertainment and founder of the Iowa Music Awards. Chalmers is passionate about supporting other artists and building a hub for music in Iowa.

“It’s more important for me to be here and have these accomplishments than for me to be in a major city and have these accomplishments and just say I’m from Iowa,” Chalmers said. “No, I need to do it while I’m in Iowa and then I also want to show that to my daughters … location, it just it doesn’t have to be an obstacle. It could actually be an opportunity.”

T1 Entertainment will celebrate Chalmers’ Super Bowl feature at its fifth anniversary party. The event will be held March 31 at the Olympic Theater in Cedar Rapids.

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