The Baller Who Raps

How Nahziah Carter pairs his love of music and basketball // By Mason Kelley

By Washington Huskies

January 23^rd, 2019

“You can want success all you want. But to get it, you can’t falter. You can’t slip. You can’t sleep. One eye open, for real and forever.” – Shawn Carter (Jay-Z)

The question is obvious. It’s one Nahziah Carter has heard before. It’s one he will hear again. When your uncle is famous on a global scale, it’s bound to come up in conversation.

So, what’s it like to be related to Jay-Z?

It’s a question the younger Carter is prepared for.

“He’s alright,” Carter said with a smile.

For Carter, it’s just Uncle J, another member of the family.

“He’s pretty busy,” Carter said. “I’ll hit him up. Happy birthday. Merry Christmas. Whenever I’m in the area, I kick it with him.”

But, while Carter sees the rap legend as just another member of the family, he does dabble as a lyricist, working on his rhymes like he works in the gym. It’s something he has always been passionate about. So, with the obvious question out of the way, the conversation shifts to Carter’s foray into rap.

When asked about if he’s ever come up with a line he’s particularly partial to, he pauses.

“There are so many …,” he said, before laughing. “I don’t know. They’re not really safe for the workplace.”

While he didn’t divulge any of his work, he said his style is lyrical.

“I like to use metaphors a lot, some things people might not pick up, but I know is there,” he said. “It’s really for me. It’s basketball first, so right now the music is just for me.”

For Carter, working on his music is something he enjoys, a release from the daily college grind. He compared writing a song in his room to playing pickup basketball.

“Say I call my boys to come play pickup,” he said. “I’m making shots. I’m talking junk. Or I’m in my room. I put on a beat and freestyle to it and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s kind of nice. Maybe I’ll say that.’”

He takes that starting point and adds to it. Just like his basketball game.

“It’s like playing your game,” he said. “Dang, I didn’t even know I could make that move. I might start doing that more, add this to the move, so it works better.”

Whether writing rhymes or improving his game, Carter is always “working on flow.”

“If I get stuck on a song, I’m like, ‘Dang, I don’t know if I like this. I don’t know if I like what I’m saying,’ then I’ll take a few days off, come back to it,” he said.

And, typically, when he comes back to it, the words and his game start to fall into place.

“You can always just improve,” he said. “That’s what’s really nice about it.”

In basketball and music, confidence is crucial. For Carter, that’s never been an issue.

“I always thought I was nice,” he said with a laugh.

From the moment he started playing basketball, he believed “there was something there.”

His belief in his ability pushed him to improve.

“You’ve just got to believe in yourself,” he said. “If you listen to what other people say, that’s just going to be that, you’re just going to give up.”

When Carter arrived at Washington, his confidence was tested.

“It was tough,” he said. “You come here, thinking you’re the man, thinking you’re stronger than everybody else.”

He played in all 34 games as a freshman, starting one. He averaged 5.1 points per game, but spent most of the year taking advantage of the learning opportunity, a trial-by-fire introduction to basketball in the Pac-12.

“I had to learn angles, how to play real basketball,” he said.

Carter said he came in with a crossover. He was accustomed to shooting “whenever I wanted.” He knew he needed to “learn how to play basketball with others, the right way.”

“There was a lot to learn, but I think I picked it up pretty well,” he said.

The toughest thing for Carter in year one was growing as a player while not getting the minutes he was hoping for. He stayed patient. His first season was humbling at times, but when asked if his confidence ever wavered, he was quick to answer – “No, never,” he said.

“I’m just trying to outwork people,” he said. “I’m just trying to get myself to the point where there’s no choice but to play me.”

Now in his second season with the Huskies, he is excited about where his game, and the team, are headed.

“Coach Hop is doing his thing,” he said. “We made a big change last year. Went from 9-22 to a 20-win season. That’s a big turnaround for us. We added some size to our program. I just feel like, with our zone and everything, we’re on our way to the top.”

While he may be New York guy, he has enjoyed the opportunity to join Seattle’s basketball community. He has taken advantage of the chance to learn from, and compete against, the area’s local NBA products.

“That was a big reason why I came here,” Carter said. “I just wanted to play pickup with ’em, see where I was at. It’s fun, but they definitely give you pointers. If they see something that can be improved, they show you how to improve it.”

After having the opportunity to compete against Seattle’s best in offseason pickup games, Carter believes he’s adjusted well so far.

“I’m pretty solid, honestly,” he said with a smile.

Before finishing the interview, Carter was asked about being a student-athlete at Washington. He talked about what it was like to watch the baseball and softball teams compete in the College World Series. He talked about being an athlete alongside national powers in rowing and volleyball, with a football team that is becoming a perennial national title contender.