The Cultural Impact of "The Get Down"

Back at the beginning of the semester I saw a trailer for a show called The Get Down coming to Netflix. First and foremost, I am down for any kind of music show related to Hip-Hop and its culture, but this was advertising itself as something different. Set in the Bronx during the birth of Hip-hop, this drama is meant to show off the culture that grew into a global phenomenon, but from the perspective of the kids that gave it it’s unique flavor. Not only that, but the series was claiming to be a musical, unafraid to embrace more theatrical elements to tell an entertaining but relevant story.

Music biopics are usually hit or miss with me, mostly because the decision to keep their themes so gritty and dramatic usually fails to actually be compelling. This is especially true when it comes to Hip-hop; the dark tone is often appropriate but not very effective. Few films (e.g. “Straight Outta Compton”) do this well enough to keep hold of your attention, teach you about the music, and make you care about the setting that lead to this musical revolution. Presentation, however, is The Get Down’s biggest strength. Even when the themes and story of the show take a darker turn, it never takes itself too seriously. While this may seem like an odd choice, I assure you it is all in good taste. Stories like this would often choose to have their main character be a desensitized anti-social genius of some sort, aware of the darkness of their area but have no way to fight it (that is of course until the plot kicks in). Ezekiel, the show's front-runner, is a smart kid from the Bronx who spends his time courting his crush and geeking out over Star Wars. Already, this protagonist proves to be much more relatable than the dark brooding heroes we have grown accustomed to. The show covers everything from the death of one’s parents, the violence and gang wars present in the Bronx, rape, drug abuse, departure from God, and the slave mentality of the streets all without feeling like it is trying to push an agenda. Many minorities watching the show already know what goes on within their communities, especially if they live in impoverished areas, so having a show constantly berate the Bronx or imply the hopelessness of the city itself would be disrespectful to the culture. The show chooses to view the Bronx through a lens of color, flair, funk, and love.

The Get Down represents much more than the sum of its parts, so much so that trying to fit it all into the tiny margins of my laptop screen seem impossible. But the show does such an amazing job of doing its represented cultures justice. What so many people seem to forget is that although Hip-hop and rap are seen as Black music, it didn’t just come from us. This music and cultural identity was the pushback of all minorities in the outer boroughs of NYC fighting for a chance to have their voices heard and risking their lives (often times literally) to leave their art behind. As such, there is an appropriate abundance of not only Black culture in the show, but an equal amount of Latino culture blended in as well. In addition to main characters speaking Spanish, they are displayed as more than just villains or sex symbols. All of this blends seamlessly into the world created by the show. As I watched it didn’t feel like the show was pandering to my culture and I hope my Latino and Latina friends feel the same.

Next on the list of my favorite things about the show, is the plethora of nerd culture and references that take up the forefront of it. To an outsider this may seem odd, but so much of Hip-Hop comes from the idea of being a superhero. It comes from old martial arts movies that blew in the 70’s and gave kids a chance to learn about Eastern philosophy that revolved around peace and knowledge as well as motivate them to practice the moves seen on the big screen. Through pop-culture these kids were able to escape some of the darker parts of their reality, and make some color for themselves through this new culture that they were creating in basements and block parties. So if at first the show seems to be Karate Kid levels of cheesy, as characters latch onto Bruce Lee’s words and pretend to know Kung-Fu, bare in mind that all these kids had were distractions and and their actions.

In addition to racial and pop-cultural representation, there is also a large emphasis on the LGBT community and the idea of freedom. Freedom takes on multiple meanings throughout the show but freedom of sexuality and the ability to love whomever you chose is a big part of the it. The shows presents these characters as free-loving fashion moguls who ultimately have all the power in the Disco scene of the 70’s. This is another instance of the show being historically appropriate due to the sanctity of disco clubs being powerful and influential enough to sway the music industry.

The Get Down's emphasis on music is top notch, to say the least, but it is also so baked into the show that it might as well be another character. On top of having a killer soundtrack that fuses old school favorites like Donna Summers and new school like Michael Kiwanuka (whose album ‘Love & Hate’ is slowly becoming one of my favorite albums of the year), the seamless transitions of these songs throughout the show was carefully crafted and fantastic. Some musical scenes hit harder than others mind you, but the ones you find most enjoyable will impact you on an almost spiritual level. Hip-hop was never about creating the ultimate form of music, rather it is a celebration of all music. Break beats were created out of anything from Donna Summers to Miles Davis, and the sound it created led to one of the biggest revolutions in music history. Poets, artists, musicians, and kids with no place to go all gathered to share some of the magic that was coming out of the Ghettos and share it with their friends and family. And this show explores not only Hip-hop but Disco and pop music as well, juxtaposing the underground nature of one with the glorified money-making capabilities of the other. All the while our characters experience this music and learn about the importance of each over time, and as they do, so do we as an audience. You will want to dance, fight the power, and cry all before a musical scene is over, and that is as perfect a blend of Black as I have ever seen portrayed in a TV show.

The Get Down is a respectful homage to an amazing culture, hell even the name itself was derived from Grandmaster Flash’s revolutionary DJ-ing technique. As I watched this series it reminded me of my own parents, the church raised singer grown into a harder worker that is my mother and the comic book nerd and martial artist that would become my father. This show is my heritage and tells a story of love and struggle all while never losing its personality. It is by no means a flawless show, but what it does well it does better than anything of its caliber that has come before it. This is the epitome of Hip-hop culture. This is the anthem for social change and love we need in 2016. This is a reminder that we have gone through Hell and still made it back alive.

This is The Get Down, and you need to watch it.