The 517 in the album title is a nod to Lansing’s area code and the influence his hometown, family and childhood friends he’s still close to have had on him. Valentine recorded between two to three times a week this summer and finished the entire 11-track album from the studio in his apartment. Whenever he finished a song, Valentine would send it to the group of friends from his childhood. They are the same guys whose names he drops on his single, ‘‘Get Ya Grind Up’’: Jalin [Thomas], Moses [Morgan], Gary [Harris], Sapp [Anthony Clemmons], Bryn [Forbes], Howie [Jordan Howenstine], Mike [Stepter], and, of course, his big brother.
