Over the past few years, the NBA has experienced a revolution in player empowerment. “More than an athlete” has become a rallying cry for players who are no longer content to simply “shut up and dribble.” Not only have athletes become more vocal and politically outspoken, there’s also been a light shined on their off-court ventures, whether that be entrepreneurial, philanthropic, or, in Damian Lilliard’s case, musical. The perennial all-star Portland Trailblazer has made music since he was a kid, and with the recent deluxe release of his album [_Big D.O.L.L.A._](https://song.link/BigDOLLADeluxe), featuring the likes of Lil Wayne, Jeremih, Jadakiss, and G-Eazy, it’s clear Dame D.O.L.L.A.’s rap career is far more than a casual pastime. _Flaunt_ met with Dame on the set of his music video for the track “Money Ball,” which released yesterday, to discuss his approach to music and its relation to his life as a star athlete.
**So, you come from Oakland where there’s a very rich hip hop history. Now you’re up in Portland. What’s the rap world like in Portland?**
It’s such a small market and everyone’s trying to blow up in their own way. It’s a strong scene locally but there’s not enough of a light being shined on it. Nobody’s taking off ‘cause there’s not really a platform. That’s why I try to involve myself and bring some type of awareness to the artists.
**Right now we’re at a moment in rap where its become completely intertwined with pop. You’re clearly someone who’s been a fan of rap for years and is very knowledgeable about it. Are you happy with the state of rap right now?**
I’m a fan of it. As an NBA player, the league that I grew up being a fan of is not the league that I play in. It’s evolving. It’s changing. Hip hop is the same. Rappers are getting shoe deals; they’re more focused on their fanbase and gaining a following since streaming is so important.
Courtesy the artist.
**Do you have any favorite rappers right now?**
My favorite rapper right now is J Cole. Out of the newer rappers I listen to, is YBN Cordae. I always listen to Wayne, Juvenile, Common, Nas, Andre 3000, and Raphael Saadiq.
**Are there any artists or musicians that people would be surprised that you love or that inspire you?**
I don’t know about surprised, but I really like Sam Smith.
**On the same sort of topic, are there any guilty pleasure artists that you love?**
I like the stuff that I like for solid reasons, so I don’t have to be embarrassed about it. Sometimes I be liking Taylor Swift.
Courtesy the artist.
**Me too! I guess if you’re confident in yourself there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure. What’s the craziest feature you’ve ever thought about getting on a track?**
On my second album I almost did a song with DMX. I was a big DMX fan growing up. We talked on the phone about concepts and ideas and his voice was exactly how it is on camera and on songs. So I would say that’s probably the most wild thing in my eyes.
**You should still do it.**
We’ll see…
**A lot of my favorite artists are people who make drastic changes over the course of their career, like Kanye going from _Graduation_ to 808s. Are there any sounds or styles that you’re excited about exploring on your next records?**
For this most recent album I talked about stuff I’ve never talked about: like my possessions and the stuff I’ve been afforded in my life because of basketball. But going forward, I’ve been having this idea of connecting that with the foundation of who I am as a person. Connecting it to why I have this stuff, and why I’m able to stay the same as a person. This last album was me giving people a chance to see a different side of me on a fancy level and now I can connect that to who I am at my foundation.
**What do you think it is about you that allows you to have all the success and material possessions and still maintain that foundation.**
I wasn’t a child star in high school or middle school.
**Do you find any correlations between the feeling you get when you’re playing basketball and the feeling you get when you’re making music or performing live? As a musician myself, I feel like there’s a sort of magic that happens when you’re improvising and freestyling ideas. When I watch basketball, I see that on the court in terms of people communicating in a moment and essentially improvising. Do those things feel similar to you?**
When I’ve performed music, It’s a certain feeling. I’m confident when I’m playing basketball but, I don’t control if we win or lose. I might have a good game or a bad game, but it’s never completely in my control. When I’m rapping, I’m comfortable with what I’m saying. Being able to control that and express myself is different than when I’m just playing. In rap you can _talk_ a good game. So it’s a different feeling.
Photographed by [Nate Rynaski](http://www.naterynaski.com)
**You’ve been in a lot of really clutch moments as a basketball player. High pressure moments like that shot over Paul George. In a moment like that, are you ever hearing music in your head to center yourself or get focused?**
It’s silent. I’m not in the middle of the game thinking about music. If I fail, I’m not worried about it, because If I do, I can handle it. And If I come out on top, and I do something crazy, and people go crazy over it, I can handle that too. Every time I’m in those moments, I’m cool ‘cause whatever happens, happens.
**Have you ever gotten any criticism on your music that you’ve actually internalized and taken to heart in a way that made your work better?**
Yeah. I think it was 2015. Every single Monday on my Soundcloud, I would find a beat and freestyle on it, no hook, just 32 bars, and I would put it on my Soundcloud. Locally, in Portland, everyone was like, ‘Oh, Dame can rap!’ But there was this dude on the news and I just happened to be watching. He was like, ‘Ya’ll saying he’s a good rapper? This dude ain’t writing no songs!’ At the time I was like, ‘why is he hating?’ But then after I thought about it, I was like, none of my shit got a hook or a bridge or anything. There’s no structure. The song ain’t put together. I’m just rapping the whole time. So after that I started really practicing writing hooks and changing up my flow. Singing a little bit. Melodies and all that. And on my last album, I wrote 7 of them. Out of 10.
**Are there any lessons that you’ve taken from basketball that have influenced the way you approach music? Or anything you’ve learned through music that you’ve taken into your game?**
I just pay attention to other players. Even if it’s a player that’s at a different level, or they’re a rookie or they don’t play, I just watch NBA players. There’s stuff I can take from players that don’t even get in the game, or that I watch in practice or in workouts. Or it could be a player like Lebron that I’m watching. I take little things that I notice about people that they maybe don’t even notice. It’s the same thing in music. I was in the studio with Wayne in LA two years ago. I walked in there and they were playing beats, and he would just go in the booth and start rapping. Usually I’d sit there for 30 minutes while the beat loops, but Wayne was way more productive, stuff like that, watching other people. I was in a studio with Marsha Ambrosius. She had like 35 different tracks to do one hook. And she was like, ‘do it again, do it again.’ She was filling up the song and it was giving it that quality sound that I hear when I listen to music. So I’m always watching and listening and trying to piece together stuff thats going to make me better as an artist.
**Amazing. Last question. You had a kid last year. Does your son dig your music? Do you ever play him your stuff?**
\[Laughs\] Nah, my son likes Baby Shark. The R&B version.
Watch the music video for “Money Ball,” featuring Jeremih, Danny from Sobrante, and Derrick Milano.
Dame D.O.L.LA.’s deluxe version of album _Big D.O.L.L.A._ is out today via his record label, Front Page Music. Stream below:
* * *
.jpg)
