Nobody Got Down

Well, Netflix spent a TON of coin on The Get Down, a musical love story set in the Bronx in 1977 that incorporates youth music cultures of the time (hip hop, disco, and punk…well, punk was supposed to be in the next 6 episodes). The first 6 episodes aired this summer; the next 6 episodes won’t be made (or finished, or whatever). 

Turns out the show tanked. Baz Luhrman, director of many flashy and over-produced films, made a semi-authentic show that used hip hop culture as its crux. This pissed off a lot of old hip hop heads, probably the only group of people who care about minor details. Remember, this show was entertainment and not historical (it was a period piece…here is more about that).

With all the inaccuracies aside, I enjoyed the show. It was, umm, cute and I took it for what it was. I didn’t like how Grandmaster Flash was treated as this god/guru type, but hey, Flash was pretty hands-on in its production. I recommend you give it a shot. In my opinion the show was made for young people, and I thought it could give them some concept of hip hop’s history, as well as the social conditions (brought on by political corruption) that gave birth to hip hop.