By Carlos Cureno
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Yesterday, the hip hop world was buzzing because of Dave B. He’s been making music for a while, but yesterday was special for him. Dropping the music video for “Leaves,” Dave B saw his visual met with all positive reviews in the midst of going viral.
Dave B represents Seattle and he feels as if a new era in hip hop is on the way. This, obviously, should come as no surprise, as many new eras have come in recent years. Even the city of Seattle is getting used to a new era, with the Seattle Supersonics settled in as the OKC Thunder.
Hip Hop Vibe had the fortune of catching up to Dave B and he gave us an On The Rise interview. The conversation began centering on the history of Seattle’s hip hop scene. Of course, he went onto discuss “Leaves” and his new celebrity status.
Read the entire interview below:
Being a native of Seattle, how do you feel about the growing hip hop scene there? I think it’s dope, it’s kinda like how everything is coming full circle with the city, now we have hip hop and it’s pretty dope.
Would you consider yourself to be somewhat under Macklemore’s shadow, or is that nothing you ever think about? I really don’t think about it. It’s different now from how it was when he first dropped. In my opinion, people don’t lump all of us in the same category. We both are from Seattle and do hip hop, but I don’t really think about that.
You’ve had your own recent run of success with “Leaves” going viral yesterday. What was that feeling like to dominate the internet? It felt really good, I put that song out over a year ago, January of last year. We got the video done and I felt like it would do really good, but I didn’t expect this. The song is old to be, but it’s new to a lot of people and it feels really good. Plus, it’s sunny in Seattle.
Because your bread and butter is your creativity, you’re passionate, so how does it feel to see people showing your music so much love? It feels good, I’m really big on reading comments. I don’t respond to everything, but I read every comment to find the negative comments. I don’t try to be naive, so I try to make myself aware of the criticism, so I can improve. It’s important for me to not get comfortable and stuck doing the same thing. But, most of the reactions are positive, so I haven’t had the chance to see any criticism.
Do you see yourself linking up with some more established names in the near future? I’m definitely interested in working with many artists, but I want to establish myself first. I’m not too keen on having other voices on my music, but I’d love to link up with different producers for a different vibe, but it will still be me. I want the focus to be me and not associated with another name. Every time I make something, I want them to know it’s me and have that effect on people.
How do you see yourself following up the success of “Leaves?” We’ve got another video for another song off the project we’re going to shoot. Other than that, I’m working on another project with another producer. Then, I’ve got some other songs coming and I hope that keeps the train going, so I don’t fall off and become the guy who was there for a day and then gone after that.
Where can the fans find you on social media? I’ve got my website, DaveBMusic.com, which goes to my SoundCloud and my other stuff is @DaveBdotcom. There is another one with @DaveB with a period and it has a few followers, but it’s not me (laughs).
Watch “Leaves” by Dave B below:
Follow Carlos Cureno on Twitter @DjayyCharliee.
