MB3FIVE is here to prove his talents on the basketball court are just as good as his talents on the microphone.
Best known as a professional NBA player playing for the Sacramento Kings, MB3FIVE, real name Marvin Bagley III effortlessly showcases he’s way more than an athlete, inspiring the masses that they too can follow their dreams no matter what the circumstances are.
The Phoenix native is an artist who takes his music very seriously, and wants to send a positive message into the world.
He explains, “I make the best music I can make, for people to hear it and feel a certain way. Do it with swag, do it with character. To have an impact on everybody’s lives, that’s really the only reason I do this music thing. And I’ma keep doing it until I can’t anymore.”
Most recently, MB3FIVE released the official music video for “Late Nights,” a record that sees him reflecting on his alone time and how it can get lonely at the top. Following the release of his previous project Behind It All, the song unveils a side of MB3FIVE fans have yet to see, holding them over until the release of his upcoming project titled Marv vs. Marv 2.
While he’s not hooping or making music, MB3FIVE is working on his own media company called 3Five Ent.
AllHipHop: How’s Phoenix treating you?
MB3FIVE: It’s cool, I love it out here. I got a lot of friends and family out here so I’m loving it.
AllHipHop: Was music always in your life the way basketball was?
MB3FIVE: Absolutely. It’s funny, everybody always asks me that. I started rapping when I was 5 or 6 years old, and I’ve been playing basketball for as long as I can remember. So going to practice, then coming straight home rapping and writing songs, going to show everybody in my family what I wrote, it’s always been a part of my life. Now the fact I can record and put it out for the world to hear is an amazing feeling.
AllHipHop: How would you describe your music?
MB3FIVE: My music is from the heart. It tells a story, not only my story but people around me. Whether it’s things that I’m going through, things that I’m seeing, things that I’m experiencing, or things that my friends and family are experiencing, I talk to them and pick their brains. Try to create some type of story behind it and make it good for the people to hear and listen to. A lot of people can relate to a lot of different things, so that’s what I try to do when I go make songs and record. Make something that’s not only true to myself, but something that people can relate to as well.
AllHipHop: How did you get the name MB3FIVE?
MB3FIVE: People started calling that in 9th grade. It was from basketball really, I had to change my number. I was always number 27 in middle school playing basketball and AAU. When I got to high school, I couldn’t wear 27 anymore, and the number I went with was 35. After that, my dad said “MB3FIVE” and it stuck with me from then. Ever since then, I’ve been rolling with that.
AllHipHop: “Late Nights” out now! How are you feeling?
MB3FIVE: I’m feeling great man, it’s a great song. Definitely a song that’s from the heart. I’m telling the world how I’m feeling at a certain time in my life, or going through a certain period in my life and telling everybody what that time was like for me. It came out as a great song. It’s doing well on Youtube, people are listening to it. People are sending it to me still, showing that they’re supporting and listening. It’s a great feeling.
AllHipHop: What were you going through recording it? Where did you record it?
MB3FIVE: I was out here in Arizona recording this. It’s a lot of different feelings that go through my mind, that I feel when I go record. It’s crazy because this night, it was actually a lot of people in the studio. I was in a certain zone, in that zone. What you hear on the song, that’s what came out. Those are my best songs where I go in and whatever I feel, it’ll come out. I go with that and the people so far like that. I’ma keep doing that until I can’t do it any more.
AllHipHop: What was the best memory from the video shoot?
MB3FIVE: The video was shot at a studio out here in Arizona. I did some scenes at the house, in the backyard. The car scenes were in the alley right behind the studio, and a couple through the gate. It was out here around people I was hanging around, my friends and family. It was cool to shoot that video, it’s a personal one. To have people accept it the way they did was great.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?
MB3FIVE: I need my phone. When I’m jotting down ideas while I’m in the booth, I don’t have to write them down. I can just type them. I need that. I need a fire engineer that knows how to engineer my voice. I need a vibe. That’s really the biggest thing out of all of those for me: the vibe. The time I’m in the studio. That’s a big thing for me. If the vibe’s not there or the vibe’s not right, it’s definitely hard for me to record. I be moving around a lot so I need an engineer who knows how to make my voice sound good. Those are the 3 things I need the most.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from your song with Lil Durk?
MB3FIVE: Me and Durk did a song not too long ago. He got on one of my songs I sent over, it’s a great song. I’m excited for people to hear that. I’m excited for the world to hear that type of song from me. Durk did his thing on it. Whenever I drop it, I’m definitely excited for people to hear that.
AllHipHop: How did you guys get in contact?
MB3FIVE: No, it’s crazy. I never spoke to him or had a type of relationship at all. I made a song and had an open verse on it. I said “Yo Durk would sound fire on this,” and we made it happen. He came back with a fire verse, a dope verse. I can’t wait for y’all to hear it.
AllHipHop: What about your song with A Boogie?
MB3FIVE: That’s another fire one. That’s another one that’s going to be a fan favorite. Anytime I play it for somebody or anybody who’s heard it, they love it. They always request it whenever we’re out chillin’, whatever, people tell me to play that song. It’s a good vibe song, a summer vibe feeling. It’ll make the people feel good for sure, definitely can’t wait to release that one. That’s the next one coming out, stay on the lookout. It’s gon’ be a good one.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from your forthcoming project, Marv Vs Marv 2?
MB3FIVE: It’s crazy how excited I am to finally put these songs together and make this project because this is a very personal one for me. I took a lot of time to make this. I’m trying to make sure it’s the right sound, I’m really trying to perfect the whole thing. I want this one to be a great project that people can listen to and feel a certain way when they hear my story, things I go through that people don’t know.
They always see one side of me, this project was to show a whole different side that people never see. I’m telling them my life, everything you hear on this album is my life. Things that I’ve seen, things that I’ve experienced, things that I’m around. It’s very close and personal to me. I’m excited to drop this and for the world to hear another side of me as an artist and as a person. It’s definitely one of those ones for me, one of my favorite ones so far.
AllHipHop: Why did you call it Marv Vs Marv 2?
MB3FIVE: Well the first one that I did was a few songs, it was an EP. I wanted to do a second one, but do it bigger and dive deeper into the concept of Marv Vs Marv, which is my basketball side and Marv as an artist. Having to deal with balancing that and everything that comes with people saying “you can’t do this” or “you can’t do both.” People seeing one side of me as a hooper and not seeing me as a rapper, understanding I’m a person like everybody else. I go through these feelings, I go through these emotions just like every human being would. I wanted to be able to dive deeper into that. Show the world I’m here making music or I’m here playing basketball on TV, but I’m still a human being at the end of day. That’s what I really want the message of this album to be.
AllHipHop: What was Nipsey’s influence on your life?
MB3FIVE: It’s crazy. I’d hear a few Nipsey songs, but I really wasn’t put on that much until he dropped Victory Lap. Once he dropped Victory Lap, that was a great project for me. I was inspired to make music and go record. I listened to it from start to finish. After that, I went back and listened to more Nipsey. Seeing how he was getting bigger over time, from where he started from to where he was at with his last Victory Lap, it’s inspirational for sure. He was Puma gang. I was supposed to end up meeting him, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Nipsey has a big influence on my music.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite song off of Victory Lap?
MB3FIVE: Ooh, that’s hard. Dang, it’s hard to pick. One that I hear and really had me dancing is “Last Time That I Checc’d,” that’s definitely one I like. “Double Up,” I can go on and on. That album was great, I like that album. Those are songs I can play anytime of the day and feel good.
AllHipHop: Basketball takes up a lot of your time. What’s the reality of training and doing music?
MB3FIVE: It’s a part of my life at this point. It’s funny people don’t think you can do both, that’s what I’m trying to show people. I go train, I go play during the season. I go to practice, you got so much time after practice. I do everything I gotta do on the court, take care of my body, shoot extra shots after practice, film, then I get in the shower, go home and go to the studio. And do the same thing: record and perfect that. Make sure it’s sounding good, it’s getting better everyday with that too. I don’t see it as a challenging thing to be able to do both, which is what I’m trying to prove to the world. I can still focus on my craft, the game I fell in love with: basketball, and still focus on music which I fell in love with when I was a young kid as well. It’s something that’s a part of my life now, and I love doing both.
AllHipHop: Goals you have for yourself at this point in your career?
MB3FIVE: Absolutely. Obviously, you want it to do numbers. You want people to hear you. You want to go Platinum and do all the things the artists do. My main goal for me: every time I write or record something is to reach one person. As long as I do that, every time I drop something to reach at least one person. Make them feel a certain way, grab them in and tell a story. That’s my only goal with the music, that’s what really keeps me going. At the end of the day, people go through things. If you can make music that can inspire them or make them feel a certain way to get them through something they’re going through in their life, that’s what it’s all about for me. That’s the reason why I fell in love with music in the first place.