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Description

“I Am Great.” Written by Jimmy Valdez. Performed by John Legend. Jimmy is finding his true artistic voice through various creative mediums, from acting and modeling, to launching his Mexican corrido music career under the name El Artista.

 

“Writing is therapy for me. It’s also like a guide for me now when I’m trying to accomplish any goals – it’s a map.” – Jimmy Valdez

 

Find Jimmy on Instagram at @itsjimmy-valdez and on TikTok at @_el_artista_.

 

Written Off contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners. To hear a bleeped version, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/writtenoff/.

 

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

John Legend, Walter Thompson-Hernandez, Jimmy Valdez

John Legend 

Everybody expects for me to be great. They expect for me to go big. On the first few minutes of screen time big. Like the parent of a grad student fresh out of grad school. Great. Great like good old Italian pasta great, or Mexican Chile relleno’s, great. Puerto Rican empanadas, great. It’s scary when people think of you being great. The thought of what if I don’t make it? Great. The theory is what holds me from being great. I am great. I was born to be great. The man and woman who made me are great. I am great. I am great.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez  02:28

I’m Walter Thompson Hernandez. And this is WRITTEN OFF. You just heard award winning performer John Legend read a piece by Jimmy Valdez. Jimmy walked into the IOW headquarters beaming, dapped up a producer, cheesing ear to ear. Even dripping a little bit with a really nice watch. Along gold chain and gold rimmed glasses. He shines. He has an enormous spirit. And you’re I can’t help but go straight to the gold ring on his right pinky finger. Something he bought himself as a gift to celebrate how far he’s come. Jim is an artist in his own right. I mean, the dude writes and sings Mexican Corrido’s, under the name “El Artista”. His new EP is out now too. Which features a song called “El Pistolero”. He wrote the treatment for and directed the music video for that song. And it’s already racked up 10s of 1000s of views on YouTube. But while music definitely seems to be a passion project for him, it was born from his first attempts at writing, which we talked about a bit during our sit-down conversation where it genuinely felt like we’ve known each other for years. Jimmy was blown away when he heard John Legend recite his piece. Here’s Jimmy.

Jimmy Valdez

Wow, bro, what a trip man. It’s crazy how? Yeah, that is really interesting to me. I’ve never really heard somebody else recite my stuff, you know? Wow.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

What is it about hearing it?

Jimmy Valdez  04:04

I think it’s just the way he embodied what I was trying to say or what I said and the way he delivered it. And just hearing something that I wrote a while back being read by somebody who you know, obviously has a roster or somebody like his name and more than anything, just really feeling the words. You know what he was saying. I felt that part of how everybody expects you to be great on the first time of screen great. Like, it’s been a journey honestly to get to by now. I was just mentioning earlier, I barely became sag. And you know, my wife and I were, I booked this gig. And I got a check recently and my wife was like, Wow, she they that’s what they paid you for one day. And she was I remember again like those little $150 and you know, she’s like, I can’t believe it. So anyways, my point is that it’s been a journey and I just financially, you know, but emotionally, and also to with friends and family. And it hasn’t been easy. You know, of course, like anybody else can relate with certain things when you’re trying to accomplish something in life. So that part just really hit me, you know. So I think it’s kind of like looking at both sides of the coin at this point, like, wow, yeah.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

And I guess like, I want to know, how do you define great, right, like, what is great mean to you?

Jimmy Valdez 

Yeah, I think the definition of it now, probably is a little bit different than what I was thinking a couple couple years back. Think great is like, I’m a father now, you know, being great as just being great inside for me, you know, mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. To me, that’s great. To me, being happy is great, versus the exterior of expectations of other people and what they expect of me. So I think inner self is great.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez  06:02

When you wrote this, what have you gone through? What were you experiencing? What was Jimmy like that?

Jimmy Valdez 

I think the facade of you know, book in a couple of like, background things. And I’m doing a couple of things here and there. And people are like, oh, treating me a little bit different. And it’s just kind of like, I’m not, it’s the facade, you know, and the struggle of like, maybe this is fake. Maybe this is not me, maybe this is not meant to be me. That kind of struggle pushing through it. And finally, coming to a point where it’s like, no, this is me. I’m just working towards it.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

Who’s I am great for?

Jimmy Valdez 

Yeah, I think I was writing that for everybody else who was like, who had these expectations on me. I think it was kind of like, throwing it back at them. You know, like to understand me. I think that’s what it was. And again, true to you know, they say poetry a lot of times writing is not just for the audience, but for the writer. So it was for me, too.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

And so you’re experienced as a writer, how’d that start?

Jimmy Valdez 

It started in the juvenile halls in 2006. My roommate at the time, Leonardo Silva, who’s been down for, I think, like 15 years now. Leonardo introduced me to InsideOUT Writers. And one day, we were like, I felt like I needed to talk to somebody about what I was going through. But you know, and there’s like, baby bulls and baby lions, and don’t nobody want to say like, hey, yo, Leo, a man. I’m kind of emotional today, bro. Talk to you about my emotions. You know, nobody wants to talk about their emotions.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez

And is there a reason for that, though?

Jimmy Valdez 

Yeah, because everybody wants to keep that, like, you know, that tough kind of guy kind of, you know, facade. And I wrote about my crime. And I read it to him. And he was just, they’re stuck on it. Like, you know, going back and forth, reading a couple lines going back and forth. And he turns in, when I finish, he looks at me and he was like, and what happened next? And I’m like, well, I’m here. I’m like, locked over. Like, that what happens next, you know. And he’s like, yo, there’s this program called InsideOUT Writers. He’s like, it’s every weekend. He’s like, instead of going to the day room, you can come to the other room. He’s again, well, right. She was like, Miss Susan […] is the teacher. She brings cupcakes and cookies, bro. Like, you’re gonna love it, you know? So. So he got me, we went in. And that’s how I started writing. And I just, like, fell in love. And I, you know, and now I’m here.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez  08:43

So, like, a big motivation was to write but also the, like, cupcakes and cookies. Right?

Jimmy Valdez 

Right, for sure. For sure. Yeah. He wanted to, you know, show up every Saturday and get cookies. And, you know, Ms. Susan is an amazing teacher and amazing woman. She’s very, like, loving, you know? And allowed me to express myself, you know, I said, hey, can I write about anything? She’s like, sure, honey, you can write about whatever you want. Just as long as you’re not trying to hurt yourself. You can write about whatever you want. And that just allowed me to really express everything that I was going through.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

So before that, your idea of what a writer was, was it something that like seemed really unattainable, something that was like, you know, because I think a lot of us grew up with this idea of what a writer is, right? And what a writer can look like. And I think oftentimes, it’s hard to see ourselves as that. But like, is that was that your experience as well growing up?

Jimmy Valdez 

I mean, I think like, I just didn’t even have an idea that a writer existed. I had no idea that writing was probably even a thing at that time, to be honest, until I was introduced to IOW.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

Think back to that moment with your cellmate. Right. And I think that’s like a really powerful moment. What if he would have maybe responded to your writing in a different way. You know what I’m saying? Like not supported you, not asked you like what came next but was like, oh, this is whack dude. You know, something curious like, that seems like such a special moment. And you know, he’s a great friend because of that.

Jimmy Valdez  10:19

For sure. Shout out to him. It’s crazy because well one of you would have responded probably negative probably would have been fighting in the cell or something. But you know, big shout out to Leonardo. It’s crazy years later, years later, we reconnected. He randomly called me I was in […] working on some other projects that I was working on. And he’s like, hey, man, are you Jimmy Valdez. I was like, yeah, bro. He got in touch with me. We talked and I was like, yo, Leo is, you remember, I was like, yeah, remember you, bro. What do you mean? He was like, you know, we were talking and he was hey, man, I just wanted to tell you, he had an accident while being inside. He got injured multiple times. And he survived. He said that the only thing that really helped him get through was the writing and the music.

Jimmy Valdez 

And the music was something that I had introduced to him how he introduced writing to me. And then that’s how I started writing music and there, but he said, I never thought about singing to you because, you know, you used to wake up singing used to go to sleep singing. He’s like you would always think to everybody in here. He’s like, and honestly through that pain. When I was in that puddle of blood. He’s like, the only thing that really got me through this intense moment was music, was singing. So we connected. And I was not doing the music. I wasn’t doing the music up to like two years ago. It’s something I always wanted to do, along with the writing stuff that I had already written.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

What kind of music?

Jimmy Valdez 

Corridos. I didn’t want to do it because I had my reasons of, I don’t want to go back into that world of drinking and doing that. I’m six years sober, by the way now. I say, you know what, I think I’m ready. So I did it. I put it out on my social media and got good response. And he had told me like, hey, bro, I’ve been writing music this whole time. I’ve been here. I was like, let me see what you got. And hearing his stuff was like, okay, this is good stuff. So I told him about one song in particular. And then he kind of kept on like, pushing like, why are you not doing the music, bro? You know, whatever. So one day he calls and I was, hey bro, what’s that song you were telling me about the guy this and this and that?

Jimmy Valdez  12:32

He said oh, and he started singing it. I was like, yeah, that one. And it’s funny, because I was like, yo, what was next? He’s like, I haven’t finished it. I haven’t finished it yet. He’s like, finish it. I was like, yeah, I’m gonna finish it. I want to record it. And I did, I recorded made a music video to put it got a good amount of 1000 views. And the response was good. And that just gave me energy to keep doing that now. So we’ve been actually in touch now going back and forth working on stuff. And you know, he’s still around, and I’m grateful and hopefully he comes home sometime soon now.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

So you started writing Corridos when you were locked up?

Jimmy Valdez 

My first song I wrote was inside. It was about my godfather being murdered in Culiacán, Sinaloa.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

Because that’s kind of like the same way that like Chalino Sánchez, right, like learns how to write, in prison, when he’s locked up, right?

Jimmy Valdez 

It’s crazy to know about that, man. I got booked on Amazon for Amazon Latin music. I got booked to play Chalino, which was crazy, man. Because when I put my stuff on social media, people were like, yo, his voice reminds me of Chalino. His voice reminds me of Valentin. Like, his voice reminds me of like these old kind of guys from back in the days. And I got booked to play Chalino in the day we were filming this Chalino thing, which was it wasn’t for him. It was for another kid named Natanael Cano. Right? So it was for Nata. But Chalino was one of the roles that plays in the story. So I got booked along with my truck. And because they played the whole Chalino, look. And I was like, you know what, the universe is fucking talking to me, bro. Like, I swear it’s talking to I go and I look, I’m like, you know what, let me see when was Chalino his birthday or death? And the day that we recorded that stuff, his birthday.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez  14:17

In August, right?

Jimmy Valdez 

It was on his birthday. And nobody else know. But me. So yeah, man. It’s crazy how these stories correlate, right. I don’t know what it is yet. But I just know that at this moment, I’m just really trying to take ownership of that.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

My first story as a journalist was about Chalino, actually. And about like the connection between Chalino and NWA. And I’m often sort of, you know, come on at the same time.

Jimmy Valdez 

I’m telling you man look at this.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

More with Jimmy Valdez. After this.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

What has writing thought you?

Jimmy Valdez  16:11

Well, first writing taught me a lot about myself, right? To kind of just like, break down certain things that I’m dealing with emotions, I’m able to like kind of like, you know, first just like, look at them closer. So at first, it taught me a lot about myself. Then it also taught me that there’s different avenues with like writing, like, I never thought I’d be like writing music, video treatments, you know, like, songs, journaling, like, I didn’t think like writing could just poetry. There was just so much with writing your goals. You know, what I’m saying? So, it taught me a lot of those things, that there’s different avenues.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

What does writing do for you?

Jimmy Valdez

Right, it’s therapy for me. It’s also liked a guide for me now, when I’m trying to accomplish any goals. So it’s a map. But yeah, writing for me now is also to like, just creating, like, creating, giving life, you know, I see these like, videos. And I’m like, damn, bro, like, that was in my head, like for six months. And now we have it here. So it’s like, enjoyment.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

What’s your writing process?

Jimmy Valdez 

Damn, that’s a really good question. I think one of my favorite things is the writing process. It’s like a feeling, right? Like a feeling that you get, or you’re like, okay, I’m ready to just let it all out. I think my writing process is, first the conversation about what it is that I’m going to be looking at. Second, just kind of jot down some ideas, all the ideas that are just mixed all over the place, put them into paper, what’s that thing they used to do in school, they put a bubble in the middle, and then you put like, all these hands on it, like brainstorming. Yeah, like on paper brainstorming, looking at that. Then for me, I like to do a free speech of what it is that I’m writing, and hear it out loud, or play it out loud. And then come back. I do recordings of it. And then finally, I just like listen to all of that, put it all together, and then just write it. That’s one of them.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez  18:14

I’m also wondering if fatherhood has changed your writing? Or is impacting your writing in any way?

Jimmy Valdez 

Right. I was very aware when I was going to become a father, that I’m going to be a father but not become a father, if that makes sense. Because I think that like, a lot of the times when we have kids being young, I guess, you know, you kind of like oh, well, life happens. And I was aware of that. I’m like nah, if anything, I’ll be more motivated to go after what I want. And keep who I am here and be a father, but still be here strong and what I’m doing artistically and not let that kind of like, maneuver my way into like dad jokes and like stuff like that. You know what I’m saying? Like, so I wanted to keep that alive. It hasn’t, but it has motivated me to grow more and do more. But yeah, I told that to my wife to like, just, you know, we don’t have to let ourselves go. Still keep your gym routine, still keep your meditation, whatever you’re doing artistically. Like, stay on top of that, because we have a baby. We shouldn’t change where we’re trying to go. You know?

Walter Thompson-Hernandez

How often, if at all, do you think about 15-year-old Jimmy?

Jimmy Valdez 

A lot. Yeah. Yeah, I said, think a lot. My wife would tell me like, Hey, you know, you always refer back to your, you know, 17 you were locked up and going back to that. And I think that now right at this point, I’m making up kind of like closing that a little bit without closing it, you know, because I’m always had to go back to it. But kind of just really focus into what’s happening now. And the reason why I would always go back is because it was such an impactful moment in my life like being in a cell for 22 hours and coming out two hours. Those moments were very tough for me, my godfather, you know, being murdered, like all those things are just like moments. But I felt that it’s like, those crashing cars, you know, like those bumper cars. And those moments which just happened in my head, and they were just doing this and that, and this and that. I’m like, it doesn’t serve purpose.

Jimmy Valdez  20:20

So I need to, like, shut that and focus on what’s now and let’s go. You know, because if not, I feel like I’m struggling with my youth and where I’m at right now. I think that if my role models would have been there, and my brother was in prison, my dad kind of, he had to he was forced to take another route. I think in my role models were there to push me to say, hey, nope, you’re not gonna be in that corner with those guys. You’re gonna go box, you’re gonna go right. You’re gonna go this? I think yes. I think if that would have happened, then it could have been a different route. But I kind of didn’t have nobody yanking me. So if I did have that, yes, I think it could have went another way.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez 

We’ll have more WRITTEN OFF after the break.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez

For your child, is writing something that you hope to pass down.

Jimmy Valdez  22:25

Yeah, art, everything, man. Like he picks up the mic now he picks up the guitar, starts playing puts on a hat he puts on the boots like so it’s cool that he sees that he’s already picking it up. And my wife, she’s getting her master’s in family therapy. So she does a lot of like art therapy and stuff like that with kids. So she’s introducing a lot of the arts to him. And it’s 100% you know, just being there to support whatever avenue and just like keep them focused. And spores, keep them focus in the arts. And I think that does very, very, very powerful, you know, because we are responsible for his environment and for what he does and stuff like that.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez

Just kind of describe yourself outside of writing. And I know it’s kind of hard to do, because writing is so intertwined with who you are. But like, what is Jimmy doing? What are you watching? What are you listening to? Like, how are you spending your free time things like that?

Jimmy Valdez

For sure. Well, I definitely listen to Corridos, for sure. 100% I love Corridos, I love Spanish music, love love a lot of the new and old Spanish music. Chalino, 100% all the time, a Banda Recodo, Nipsey Hussle, Celia Cruz, […], you know, people like that I listened to. And then what am I watching, I don’t even have a TV at home. We’ll probably get a projector to watch movies. But I don’t spend my time watching anything because I’m always working. But I watch movies from time to time. A lot of my time, like free time. I love love, love, love to go to Griffith Park, there’s a spot called Trails Cafe. Right across the street, there’s an entrance to go up the hiking trail, but there’s this really cool big park for kids. So I take my son there. And I love love going there. Like we go on small hikes and stuff like that and play with them.

Jimmy Valdez  24:23

Free time for sure. Like I spent recording, there’s no place my wife and I got we have a studio. So now I bring somebody in to set up the whole equipment and everything and we’re recording. So I spend my free time doing that. buying new wardrobe to go do new photoshoots or content, like any videos, anything that I need to catch up with to continue to feed my social media. So a lot of my free time is on that. Of course the gym. Outside of that when I am busy. What I’m doing right now is I manage security guards on movie sets or commercials or music videos. And within that realm now that I’m very well familiar with, I am also picking up other jobs on set with production.

Jimmy Valdez

So I’m doing that, while I’m pursuing my career as an actor, and musician. And then when I do have moments, then we’ll audition and stuff like that, and hope that we continue to book stuff. When rehearsing, rehearsing for rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing, singing as much as I can, at this time, right now, I just feel like I am living in a monastic way. And I’m just kind of like, it’s, it’s just building in that order, you know, free time work, investing, work, build, you know, taking care of myself, family. So I think I’m in a moment where I’m just like, I found a routine. That’s pretty much what my life is revolved around right now. And just building and creating.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez  25:58

Great, man. Thank you.

Jimmy Valdez

Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez  26:03

Thanks again to Jimmy Valdez whose debut EP is out now wherever you stream music. You can also visit his self-titled YouTube page or catch him on Instagram at @itsjimmyvaldez. The dude’s also on TikTok at @_el_artista_. Moved by what you heard today? Want to do more? Follow and support InsideOUT Writers Workshop at insideoutwriters.org and click on ways to give. To get involved personally in the work to end mass incarceration in California. Check out the work of ARC. The Anti-Recidivism Coalition. Next week on WRITTEN OFF, writer Jani bridges.

J’Nai Bridges

She captured it perfectly, maybe even better than I could have read it out. It’s so personal and it’s so deep and it was such a difficult moment that is still just even hearing this like dang, you know, but she did an incredible job with it.

CREDITS

WRITTEN OFF is a co-production of Lemonada Media and Black Bar Mitzvah. Our producer is Claire Jones. Supervising producers are Xorje Olivares and Kryssy Pease. Executive producers are Aaron Bergman, Jay Ellis, Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Music and sound design by Xander Singh. Mix and scoring by Matthew Simonson. Special thanks to all of our contributors, and InsideOUT Writers, you can learn more about them at insideoutwriters.org. If you like what you heard, help others find us by rating the show and writing a review. Follow us at @LemonadaMedia across all social platforms. To support WRITTEN OFF and gain access to exclusive bonus material. Like additional conversations with the writers and producers of this show. Subscribe to Lemonada Premium, only on Apple podcasts. And for more of my work, visit my website wthdz.com. I’m Walter Thompson Hernandez. Thanks for listening.