To start the weekend off right, the highly anticipated Netflix TV series, "The Get Down" was right on our computer screens.
February of last year was when the series was announced and "The Get Down" is "a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to hip-hop, punk and disco." That alone caught my attention quickly. So to get more on the train to the South Bronx, I got five reasons why "The Get Down" should be added on your list.
5. Black & Brown Pride
A major Throwback Thursday where the gentrification is didn't run generations of families out, this show stays realistic to the background era-the late 1970s. In the 70s in the hoods of New York, the majority of the residents there were indeed, Black/African-American and Latino. Some are even biracial with both races or multiracial. The fact that you see unity in with both races and nationalities is beautiful to me. As beautiful as the unity is, they kept it realistic with shade remarks from both side. I just love seeing more minorities in the spotlight to tell their story without a "white savior" narrative in film to take all the credit.
4. "Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the hood."-Doughboy played by Ice Cube from Boyz in the Hood
In this series, we get to see point of view of the questionable politics from Papa Fuerte dealing with Ed Koch and his desperate ways to get the minority vote. Unlike most shows where the captain that saves the hood is actually corrupted himself, Papa Fuerte appears to be flipping the script to benefit the people, not only himself.
3. The Late 70s New York Bronx aesthetic
One thing that was well done in this musical drama was how well the aesthetic was executed. The clothes, the music, the slag, and even the background props. What made it even more believable is that there was footage from the 70s used in the series, which gave the people who remember this version of New York, a sense of nostalgia. The 90s babies and up, get to see how their parents were at there age.
2. The Music/Acting/Cast
The choice in music made me start to love The Get Down more. *Ahem* Having the God's Son, Nas as one of the executive producers, and as voice of adult Zeke, this show can't good wrong with him in the corner. I appreciate that the cast was majority new actors on the scene, with familiar faces of Jaden Smith and Shameik Moore. The cast is young Black and Latino and for the young actors to catch the essence this well, I was impressed.
1. The Storyline
The focal point of the series is in the eye view of Zeke, a too smart for his own good rapper who heart's pours for a disco queen in the making, Mylene. While circulating their love affair we see the beginning process of the a crew for the legendary hand of Grandmaster Flash. The first episode might start off slow for some, but it grows with some gems. It lighthearted enough to make you want to relieve the good times, but realistic enough of showing all the crime, riots, and all the grimey-ish in between that make New York, New York.
P.S. Zeke may give some Drake feels for some, but he appears to grow a backbone in the later episodes.
Catch "The Get Down" on Netflix with part one of six episodes, and whenever we will get bless with part two, I'll be chilling in the cut in my b-boy stance.
