“Inspiration for Martin Luther King”: Comedian Andrew Schulz Unearths JJ Redick’s Old Poetry

Blue Devils legend JJ Redick was recently on ‘The Flagrant Podcast’ hosted by comedian Andrew Schulz. While on the show, Schulz uncovered a surprising secret about Redick’s life. In fact, Redick gave up his secret, as the former NBA player talked about his musical past. Talking about it further, JJ revealed,

“Do you know I recorded rap songs in college?… The poetry was just rap lyrics. It wasn’t good stuff…we would be in a dorm room, and it would just be a headphone and a mic.”

Redick revealed that he always had a deep interest in writing and ‘rap’ was his medium of expression. But in a hilarious turn of events, Schulz revealed that he found a few ‘bars’ from Redick’s past, as the comedian began to read from his phone. Reading a few lines, Shultz recited,

“A sharp thorn once cut my soul,
The blood flowed but no bandage
would ever cover the wound.

I asked the Lord “What am I to do?”
He said, ” I made the sky blue.”
The rain falls because of me
Leaves change colours on a fallen tree.

I was the inspiration for Martin Luther King
I am the reason Ray Charles can sing.
am giving strength to others through and through,
And so I’ll do the same for you.”

Before Shultz could finish the piece, the entire Flagrant set burst out laughing. An embarrassed Redick said, “Yeah I wrote that.” Hilariously, the Duke legend was surprised and the whole panel enjoyed what the former Mavericks SG had to offer as part of his musical talents. Even though he did seem a little uncomfortable, that didn’t deter the rest of the Flagrant squad from getting on Redick for his verse. Aakash Singh asked Schulz, “Is that a poem or a rap?”.

The tragic reason behind JJ Redick’s writing habit

JJ Redick is possibly one of ‘the most hated college players’. The former Duke shooting guard faced a lot of hate and heckling during his high school and college days. Despite all the antics from opposing fans, he performed brilliantly, as the sharpshooter retired as the university’s leading scorer.

Through a 2007 ESPN article, JJ revealed that ‘writing’ often helped him deal with mean-spirited fans. Upon further investigation, he revealed that he started writing as a way to deal with the loss of his maternal grandfather. Redick started writing to cope, but as the years went on, he made a healthy habit out of it. He even expressed his desire to share his writings with the world,

“Anybody that likes to write, their dream is to be published…I’d like to be published someday. I love the written word. It would be a really good thing.”

Even though Redick seems to have a real knack for journalistic writing, the same can’t be said for his raps. In 2009, he even made headlines, as news of production on a new album headlined by Redick created quite a stir. News outlets such as Bleacher Report didn’t find the news too amusing, as they respectfully requested Redick to “stick to shooting three.”