On July 19, 2011, rapper Dave Coresh sat down with Performer Magazine’s Jack M Silverstein to discuss the difference in motivation between solo work and performing with a group, his upcoming Melee in Bucktown mixtape and show, and his love of hip-hop.

When I’m in a room with another MC or two, I definitely feel the pressure. Even if there’s no rapping yet, I know somebody in here has the capability. Being in that setting really pushes you to be as creative as you can possibly be. General, I’ve sparred with him all types of amounts of time. Blink, The Boy Illinois – we all were located down here at Urbana, so that’s where I met both of them. We had hours, days, I’m talking three or four days at a time, just hanging out together, rapping, writing, freestyling, creating, bouncing, everything. It was extremely dope.

I love the emotion that comes from a hip-hop song. That tangible thing you can hold on to after hearing a song. “I Used to Love H.E.R.” I remember hearing that song and just feeling like, Man, I can relate to how he feels. Like I love that, but it had to do that, it had to go through this change, because I wouldn’t feel it if it didn’t go through that. So that brings on a whole nother thought to me, that if I hadn’t been through the same things I’ve been through in my life, I wouldn’t be who I am. And I love that growth in hip-hop. You can hear that in the music. You can hear that from one artist to the next. It’s really dope.

Hip-hop was something you created out of nothing, out of pulling stuff together that you had around. Hip-hop wasn’t made on instruments, notes, and strategic composing. This was made out of thoughts, sight, vision, people seeing what’s happening around them, taking sampled drums and chopping up stuff that they hear and listen to all the time, speeding it up, changing it so they can use it to their own ability and display whatever they want to do with it. I just think that’s crazy. I do that all day. It’s got me into producing. I listen to so many types of music because of that. It’s almost overwhelming. It’s almost overwhelming. True.

–Follow music writer Jack M Silverstein on twitter @ReadJack. In Chicago this Friday? Check out Dave Coresh at the free. Melee in Bucktown show at Debonair Social Club. You can follow Dave on Twitter @DaveCoresh.