Bulls' Denzel Valentine opens up about balancing life as a hooper and recording artist

NBA player Denzel Valentine celebrated Valentine’s Day by releasing his debut EP, putting out eleven songs that he wrote and recorded.

The project from Valentine, a 27-year-old wing for the Chicago Bulls, is entitled “517: Made Me” and is a homage to his hometown of Lansing, Michigan. You can stream his newest project in its entirety right here.

Valentine, who was selected with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and re-signed with the Bulls during the offseason, recently touched base with For The Win to discuss his latest musical endeavors.

He is also premiering a music video for “On Sight (feat. Rockie Fresh)” which you can watch below:

Thanks for your time today, Denzel. I’d love to hear a little bit more about your background in music and how you would describe it.

DV: I started making music during my junior year of college. My roommate, Eron Harris, was making music on his laptop. I’d been freestyling since high school. He asked me if I wanted to jump on one of his tracks. Ever since then, I’ve kept with it. When I got to Chicago, I made sure to get a studio in my apartment. My music is about my life and how I feel because I want it to be real. I’m versatile. There are tracks of me straight rapping and there are tracks of me where it’s more R&B.

What are some of the things you appreciate most about making music?

DV: It helps so much to be able to vent . Music, for me, is a form of venting. I’m trying to relate to the fans and let them hear my side of the story or just get my mind off everything. I don’t have to think about what I have going on the next day and all of the things that I have to do. I’m just fully present when I’m in the studio listening to music.

What are some of the biggest influences that led you to pursue this a bit more seriously?

DV: I was listening to hip-hop with my dad since I was born. My dad is definitely my biggest inspiration for me diving into this kind of music. We used to listen to Jay Z, 50 Cent, Tupac, Biggie and all of the old-school rappers. Once I started listening to rap on my own, I started listening to Lil Wayne. He was the first rapper that I really liked. I also got pretty into Drake and Meek Mill. Those are my three favorites of all-time so I want to make music the way they make music.

How did you turn from being a basketball player and hip-hop fan into someone who makes music as well?

DV: My first time in a studio was in Michigan when I played for Michigan State. I had a friend who brought me and some of my teammates. I became friends with an engineer who was there. When I moved out to Chicago, he set up the studio. He couldn’t come back and forth all of the time so my friend Rockie Fresh, who is a rapper, took me to Classick Studios on the west side of Chicago. I met someone there who was down to help me out at my crib. It was all very organic.

What is the process that you follow when you are recording?

DV: If I’m going to do something like this, I’m going to do it with good quality. There are times where I’ll go in there and punch in and just freestyle when I’m really feeling it. There are also times where I’ve gotten beats and I’ll wake up early or it’s late at night and I’ll get to writing lyrics. But it takes a lot of time. It’s not just recording sessions. It’s mixing and mastering and listening to it again and making sure it sounds cool. I know now why great artists take so much time to put out their projects.

How much of your music would you say is about basketball? 

DV: I’d say one-third of my music is me talking about basketball. Another third is about the other stuff I’m doing right now, all of the fun times. The rest is just about my past and how I got to this moment. I’ll talk about my upbringing.

As a professional athlete, what are the biggest challenges you face as a recording artist?

DV: The biggest challenge is finding the time to actually get better at it. I am such a gym rat so I’m always in the gym trying to get better at basketball. So it’s hard to find the time. But when I do have the time, I also have to make sure my engineer is free and make sure I have the right beat that I’m feeling. Balancing everything can be tough.

Has the pandemic allowed you to create your art a bit more often than usual?

DV: Everything was shut down so I was mostly focusing on lifting weights. Other than that, I was either chilling at my place or in the studio. I definitely used that time to lock in, figure out what I wanted to talk about and make that music. This definitely sped up the process of being able to put out music.

What do your teammates think about you moonlighting as a musician?

DV: Otto Porter Jr. has been in the studio with me but he doesn’t rap. Some of my friends from college have hopped in, too, like Gary Harris from the Denver Nuggets. They think it’s pretty cool. Bryn Forbes and Gary have been listening to my music since like 2015. They like hearing their shoutouts and they’re really supportive when I send them tracks. They also tell me that I should continue, too, which definitely helps.

If you were to collaborate on a track with someone in the NBA, who would it be and why?

DV: If it were anybody, it would have to be Damian Lillard. I think he’s the best. He could actually be a rapper for real. His last project, I got into it, I was listening for a solid few weeks. I’ve definitely got a ton of respect for him not only as a player but as a rapper, too. He was an influence on me. I saw him doing it and thought I could try it, too. Everything is organic with me so maybe one day we can do a track together.

Basketball is obviously your primary focus. But do you have any particular long-term goals with music?

DV: I definitely want to keep getting better. I want to get in the studio with some of my favorite rappers one day. I’m excited to see what the future holds.