True School
Old School, it’s over. But is “True School” forever?
Today in conversation I heard a term so awesome that its going to be my first blog post. Chimar Co-Founder of Convenience Atlanta, GA dropped a phrase that I believe embodies a current cultural movement, — “True School”. So what is True School?
True School was initially mentioned almost as a correction to the phrase “Old School”. Now you might say, what is wrong with the phrase Old School why correct it? Why, because the term Old School makes something sound dead which really is still living and is very much relevant to the living human experience as we have known it for the last 6000 years or so. Listen to Grandmaster Flash “The Message” or Public Enemy — “Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos” and tell me that those stories don’t still live? More importantly, don’t True School songs like these and many others ignite hope and courage in your spirit? They do in mine!
True School is bigger than just music really.
Would you call 2001: A Space Odyssey, or the timeless work of Eero Saarinen Old School? If it weren’t for Dieter Rams the device you are reading this on probably wouldn’t look the way it does. I believe that these people discovered something true about the nature and laws of the universe and were gracious enough to share these discoveries with humanity.
This is an exciting time for humanity! Technology is a medium that is enabling the sharing of information and ideas at a rate that far exceeds the truly outdated Old School control systems of past. Don’t get me wrong, those systems are still here, popular as ever and increasingly sophisticated. But i’m pretty happy with the fact that I could watch a Joey Badass video on a phone while sitting on something as beautiful as Tulip chair. Are any of those things necessary for my survival as a biological entity on earth? No. However the beauty, craftsmanship and evolution of a scene like that seems pretty True School to me. But so does “Broken glass everywhere. People pissin’ on the stairs, you know they just don’t care.”.
For the most part I care (OK, if i’m really inebriated my attention to care drifts). I think it’s dope when the discoverer of term “True School” said my music sounds “True School”. I haven’t hit the mass market yet, but I notice its a really wide range of people of different cultures and places who find some benefit from my art. I guess I really should say what WE are doing, because I’m a student schooled by so many true people.
I write this article with the hope that other TRUE SCHOOL pioneers will expand on and share their discoveries and observations! If not now, when?
What do you think? Let me know.
