On and off the field, Battlehawks quarterback Manny Wilkins Jr. is five. Or, make that 5IVE.
“Everything in my life kind of revolves around five,” he explains. “I was born in ‘95, I had the number five since college, I was referred to as five. It just kind of became a thing. In my music, 5IVE is Manny, Manny is 5IVE. I am who I am, and I think that it's definitely been an alter ego or another way to go about calling myself.”
The California native found a new opportunity in St. Louis in 2023, where he came to play quarterback for the newly resurrected Battlehawks, then part of the second iteration of the XFL. (This year, the team plays in the newly created UFL.) After four years at Arizona State, Wilkins had played for the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to 2020.
But quarterbacking isn’t his only talent.
“I have loved music my whole life,” says Wilkins, 28. “I think music is its own language, and I think that I've obviously been a huge fan of many artists growing up. Music speaks to me in different ways and quiets my mind and things like that. It's emotional and it's just another way of expressing your emotions, your feelings and things.”
Wilkins created his 5IVE persona in 2020 as he began to put more energy into his music career. You can find his music, which has definite Drake vibes, on Soundcloud; he also has a following of 22,000 on Instagram. He describes his R&B and soul tracks as “authentic and unexpected,” and says his biggest inspiration is his close friend Jahron Brathwaite, professionally known as PARTYNEXTDOOR, a Canadian R&B singer, songwriter and record producer.
“I don't want people to ever turn something on and expect anything that's common,” he says. “I want my music to sound very real and raw, like I want it to sound like something that can live forever. I strive to make something that is timeless.”
Wilkins released his first EP, INTRO, in 2020 featuring five songs. Three years later came a new single, “TROUBLE.”
Though he hasn’t debuted any new music in the past year, Wilkins does have a new album in the works and is excited to release his new music into the world.
“I've been recording over the last year, two years, putting together this project that I'm doing,” he says. “My favorite music is my next music because I want to continue to get better and continue to express myself in ways that I haven’t expressed myself before.”
Even with his busy Battlehawks schedule, Wilkins finds the time to let his musical inspirations take over and the lyrics flow.
“I feel like nowadays a studio can be anywhere with you,” he explains. “So when I get free time at work, you know, instead of when other people may be doing other things with their free time I open my laptop and I just go and knock things out or create or do whatever it may be. I definitely find time for it and music will always find time for itself. There's no force when it comes to music, you kind of just let God work. When the mic gets turned on or a beat gets played it's bigger than just you, music as a spiritual thing.”
Wilkins considers both music and football a big part of who he is.
“I can be an NFL quarterback playing at the highest level, and I can make music that is true to me,” he says. “I take pride in that and not shying away from being who I am. I think that it is an uncommon thing but that's why I play football at a high level and make music at a high level. I live life, my life and I am who I am.”
For him, it’s not about something being hard or being easy, it’s about doing what makes you happy.
“[Football and music are] both going to be challenging, but they mean something to me,” says Wilkins. “I think if something wasn’t challenging, I wouldn't want to do it. They're both very challenging. It's a very tough sport to play. I play a very tough position. The quarterback is one of the hardest positions in all the sports, but music is an emotional thing because you're speaking from your heart — it's vulnerable.”
Wilkins has been gratified by the support St. Louis has shown his team.
“I'm very happy to be a part of the St. Louis Battlehawks,” he says. “It's been so beautiful to be a part of the city who truly loves football and really shows how much they love football to the players.”
To keep up with Wilkins' aka 5IVE’s EP, follow him on Instagram, listen to his Soundcloud or catch him on the field at the Dome at America's Center.
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