'Pistons Won Again': How Gmac Cash became Detroit's voice of victory

"[Gmac] is one of the best rappers that can keep the Detroit style and stick to the topic," Helluva told ESPN. "When he called me about the Pistons song, I visualized people dunking, a crowd going crazy. I knew it had to be some high-energy stuff that everybody could relate to."

Helluva leaned into the vibe that defines the unmistakable sound of Detroit rap: dark, hard-hitting beats with a slightly uplifting timbre.

"That's the main thing in Detroit, it's got to have that scary movie piano like it's Michael Myers coming, but it's the Pistons instead," Helluva said.

While Helluva produced the beat, Gmac Cash began putting pen to paper for the lyrics.

Feeling like Cade [Cunningham] when I'm headed to the rack

We just won another game that's another back-to-back

Best team in the league yeah, we really on a mission

And I don't see no competition, we the Detroit Pistons

"I name some of the players and the coach in the song so it's a dope strategy that gets the job done," the rapper said about his creative process.

"Pistons Won Again" dropped on Jan. 11, 2025. Not long after, the franchise made the song a victory staple, playing it after every win during the 2024-25 season as it approached the playoffs.

Gmac Cash told ESPN that although he already was connected with the Pistons franchise, he still was caught off guard when the team started playing his song in the arena.

"It was just a beautiful moment because I was seeing people actually rapping it and they knew the words," Gmac Cash said. "I looked at my guys and they started recording me and I just started rapping out loud."

The Pistons noticed the song's impact, too.

"It's high energy, it's memorable, and it has that Detroit sound," Pistons EVP and chief marketing officer Alicia Jeffreys told ESPN. "Our [social team] posts the song, and now Tobias is always the first one calling for it when we win."

"We said the song was tough," Harris said. "Fans were into it, so we thought it was something we could really embrace and build excitement around."

With a musical catalog that focuses on Detroit sports teams -- the Pistons, Tigers, Lions and Red Wings -- and other Detroit topics, Gmac Cash's songs have mirrored the success of the franchises he raps about.

According to Gmac Cash, that run has earned him a reputation as a "good luck charm" -- and, he says, the voice of the city.

"In Detroit, wins don't just belong to the team -- they belong to the city," Gmac Cash said. "I made the song about the team, turned up the fan base and helped contribute to that winning energy."

Gmac Cash began rapping as a student in school hallways and eventually carved his own lane by creating parody songs tied to current events. That style led to viral moments -- including a performance and winning "Clip of the Year" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" for "Giant Slide" in December 2022.

But in Detroit, it's his hometown teams that have provided his biggest stage.

Music has always been part of Gmac Cash's life. His mother, Selena Allen, introduced him to gospel and R&B. He grew up watching her perform and realized that he wanted to follow a similar path.

"When I seen her on stage," Gmac Cash said, "a light bulb popped on in my head like, 'I can do this too.'"

Now, as the Pistons are in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2006-07, the song that once manifested wins has become an essential part of them.