Denzel Valentine Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 11/16/93
Height: 6-4 / 1.93
Weight:210 lbs. / 95.3 kg.
Salary: $4,642,800
Born: 11/16/93
Height: 6-4 / 1.93
Weight:210 lbs. / 95.3 kg.
Salary: $4,642,800
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. Denzel Valentine: 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 biggest influences that led you to pursue this a bit more seriously? Denzel Valentine: 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.
If you were to collaborate on a track with someone in the NBA, who would it be and why? Denzel Valentine: 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.
Valentine’s Day 2021 is a day Denzel Valentine has been waiting for. The Bulls sharpshooter spent months writing and recording tracks in his home studio, culminating in the holiday release of his debut album ‘517: Made Me.’ “It’s kind of just letting the fans get to know me better. Tell them my story and how I grew up and how my lifestyle is. I’m really excited to get feedback from everybody.”
The eleven-track EP features songs like ‘Get Ya Grind Up’ and ‘Paper Cutz,’ drawing on creative influences from Valentine’s childhood. “I just love music. My dad, we used to listen to Biggie and Tupac and Jay-Z growing up, and then from Lil Wayne to all the artists now. I just had a real passion for music ever since I was a little boy.”
Temple’s approach, and advice to his teammates, is to focus on the granular. “You can’t tell a grown man what to do, obviously. But, for example, getting on the bus, me and Denzel (Valentine) were getting on the bus, and I was like ‘Let me get some of this hand sanitizer while I’m walking into the bus.’ Denzel was like, ‘You right, let me get some too,'” Temple said. “Just doing things like that, going and washing your hands before shootaround, which everybody should be doing anyway. After shootaround, eat your food, things like that that you just do to make sure, to show people because it’s just a new world out here. And be conscious about the things that you’re doing to try to prevent the spread of the virus.”
