My freshman year of high school, I got my first pair of Converses. I still have that same pair. They literally were an intricate part of the canvas that helped me build my personal styles as I moved into sophomore and junior year. The brand was everywhere I looked. Whether it be in photos, in newspapers, magazines, in video-games, I recognized the brand – and could tell when people were trying to pose as it as well. They’ve become such a large portion of our American culture that it has become extremely difficult to avoid actually picking up a pair at the nearest mall.
Think about it…
What makes the popular kids cool? What they wear. And what do they wear? Converse. What does every aspiring hipster wear? Converse! What did basketball players wear in the eras of Chuck Taylor and Kareem Abdul? CONVERSE. When The Warriors were bopping through the streets of New York in ‘79 trying to escape those crazy baseball bat wielding goons, what did they run home to Coney in? CONVERSE! What did Native Americans wear – no, not Converse – but pretty close – I’ve heard moccasins are just as comfortable.
Now they’re expanding…
With the introduction of Converse Rubber Tracks, passionate up and coming artists everywhere are reaching out to Converse Music in order to help create and polish work they hope to shop to the actual music industry and build connections and fanbases. What’s made this so unadulterated and simply unbelievable is that Converse decided to take this movement worldwide, offering their services to struggling artists – allowing them to book a full day at some of the most famous recording studios around the world for free.
It gets better, every participant gets a new pair of Converses to rock out on stage – and if they’re lucky enough to be chosen – can be involved in opening for some pretty big artists that are out right now. A kid such as myself seeing someone such as Action Bronson involved with the project caused me to really shed a tear. It’s a beautiful thing – and they aren’t making a single dime for doing it.
So what do they gain?
Converse gains respect from people like you and I alike, who simply love music. They get the satisfaction of bringing happiness into the world. And on top of that, they get push their name out there. In the ways that Nike entered the world of Sports – Converse interwove itself into a much more diverse side of our cultures. Music is an everlasting waving, especially in the Western Hemisphere. In the last five years, the amount of options we have to consume music has transcended incredibly. Business wise, this was a truly inventive choice on the part of Converse because not only did I love the brand for style but now I found a new love in their promotion of artistic endeavor.
In an interesting twist, I personally trust that Converse is changing the way that people are beginning to perceive and indulge in music around the world. How? By reminding us just how important an artist’s look is to how they sound. It’s helping artists become identifiable.
…I for one cannot wait to witness how far Converse Music will travel in our society and what new ingenious creations for their brand they’ll come up with as we approach the dawn of a new decade…
Amir Royale
is a multi-talented actor, recording artist, filmmaker, and entertainment entrepreneur with M. StageScene Communications, Corp. Royale is a graduate and adjunct professor of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (where he also earned a minor in Cinema Studies). Royale also is a graduate of the acclaimed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where he studied Drama. Royale hails from St. Albans, Queens — a neighborhood that was once home to many legendary musicians, such as James Brown, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, A Tribe Called Quest, and Count Basie.