Written in direct response to NIL deals and college athletes getting paid in 2026. The subject matter — NIL deals and college athletes getting paid in 2026 — demanded a track that didn't flinch from the specifics. Muckraker's hip-hop production gives the story the weight of a front-page exclusive — journalism you can feel in your chest. Lines like "AJ Dybantsa signed before he even played a game," anchor the track in specifics that generic coverage misses. Every Majik's Studio news track exists to make you feel the story, not just read it.
[verse 1]
Used to play for free, now the game done changed,
AJ Dybantsa signed before he even played a game,
Four to seven million sitting pretty out at BYU,
Eighteen years old with a net worth higher than the coaches knew,
Arch Manning on the sideline worth six-point-eight,
Hasn't started full-time yet, the brand already great,
Demond Williams Jr., four million at the Huskies,
Washington D.C. to Washington state, ain't nothing lucky,
Five hundred million floating in the basketball market,
Every point guard with a podcast, every center got a target,
Revenue sharing on the table, the schools are cutting checks,
What used to be illegal now comes with direct deposit
[chorus]
Check the deposit, check the deposit,
College athletes finally got it,
Check the deposit, check the deposit,
Millions on the line, they earned it, don't you knock it,
Check the deposit, yeah, check the deposit,
Name, image, likeness, they profit
[verse 2]
Sixty-three percent of deals tied back to boosters,
Alumni opening wallets like they're talent recruiters,
Freshman got a shoe deal, sophomore got a brand,
Junior flipping merch sales from the locker room stand,
Quarterback at TCU, two-point-five secure,
Every snap he takes is worth a hundred thousand more,
They said amateurism was sacred, pure and clean,
But the NCAA was banking billions off of eighteen,
Now the kid from nowhere with the crossover mean,
Got a financial advisor and a marketing team,
Swimming, soccer, every sport is in the conversation,
Equal pay for equal play across the whole entire nation
[bridge]
Remember when they told us just be grateful for the scholarship,
Stadium was packed but the athlete couldn't profit from it,
Jersey sales were millions but the name patch said anonymous,
Now the world is different and the athletes run the economics,
From the dorm room to the boardroom, watch the power shift,
Every generation after this will know they're worth it
[outro]
Check the deposit, check the deposit,
College athletes finally got it,
Check the deposit, yeah, check the deposit,
Name, image, likeness, they profit,
Check the deposit, young kings and queens get yours,
The game is yours, the bag is yours, the future's all yours
