Emerging Rapper Black Dave to Share The Stage with ScHoolboy Q

Over 150 artists from across the United States and Canada participated in vying for the chance to open for Grammy nominee ScHoolboy Q in the Vans Share The Stage competition. After earning a spot as one of 10 finalists, New York rapper Black Dave was hand-picked as the winner by ScHoolboy Q himself and will serve as his opening act at House of Vans Chicago on September 14.

The confidence and ease Black Dave displays on stage comes from his love of hip-hop and a lifetime of ripping through the streets of New York City on his skateboard. “Growing up in the Bronx, I started skating at a very, very young age in the hood,” he says. “I [saw] people skating in the streets one day and I was just like, ‘Damn, they look so free.’” In Black Dave’s eyes, that freedom extends to hip-hop. “There are just so many ties between skateboarding culture and hip-hop culture,” he says.

Those similarities resonate with Black Dave on a personal level because he grew up skating in the very place where hip-hop was born. The fire, passion and sheer ingenuity that inspired its creation in the Bronx during the summer of 1973 is similar to the reckless abandon skaters feel while airborne. Hip-hop and skateboarding are brash displays of creativity on the fly that mix improvisation with rogue energy. They’re forms of self-expression, and as someone who embraces both, it’s vital to Black Dave that everything he does exudes a raw sense of individuality.

This bleeds into his videos for “To Da Grave” and “On Da Map,” which feature skate footage. And after winning the competition, Black Dave is well-aware of the potential impact of his voice and how he can share his vision with an even larger audience. “Right now is a time where music can do a lot, and I see my music being able to unite people,” he explains.

This bleeds into his videos for “To Da Grave” and “On Da Map,” which feature skate footage. And after winning the competition, Black Dave is well-aware of the potential impact of his voice and how he can share his vision with an even larger audience. “Right now is a time where music can do a lot, and I see my music being able to unite people,” he explains.

RSVP is open now for the House of Vans Chicago’s Share The Stage performance with ScHoolboy Q with an opening performance by New York native rapper, Black Dave. For more information on Share The Stage, please visit houseofvans.com. Also, be sure to tune-in to the FADER’s Instagram livestream on September 14 to catch Black Dave’s performance.