By Ashely Augusty
“The Getdown” is a Netflix Original that hit the net this year. Created by Stephen Adly Guirgis and Baz Luhrmann, the story follows a young group of teens trying to survive in the ever-changing Bronx during the 1970s.
The protagonist of the series, Ezekial “Books” Figuero (played by actor Justice Smith) has a consistent battle between being young, poverty, and hip hop.
During season one we see Books torn between his for new found love hip hop and his love for his neighborhood crush Mylene Cruz ( played by Herizen Guardiola).
It is a struggle for Books to pick what’s right for him and what’s good for him. The tension between the switch of a musical era and the crack epidemic along with local government corruption only help cause more trouble. There’s consistent violence and everyone is simply trying to get some amount of fame.
One thing the series does really well is connect all the characters to each other. Which is very realistic and allows for the plot to move easily. The episodes play through like a Taratino movie, with the fast hard cuts and the cheesy exaggerated sound effects.
Another great aspect is the musicality in each episode. You get a taste of the final moments of the disco empire and the rise of the first form of B-Boys and hip hop. It also follows some real hip hop history with one of the characters, Dj Grandmaster Flash, actually being a well known real Dj. I would highly recommend this series to anyone.
I can say I wholeheartedly recommend watching “The Getdown.” At its core it is a fun look at the summer of 1977 in the black and latino communites of the Bronx, in relation to the rise of hip hop and the demise of disco. This show bounces and pulses with a jubilant energy and snappy dialogue.
Every epiosde cost about sixteen million and the wuqlity of the sets, clothes, hair and makeup and cars prove not a single dollar was wasted.
The first six epsidoes premiered in Augest and the next six will be avaialbe to stream on Netflix in spring 2017.
It’s serious with out being too heavy. The comedy is great and you really feel how great the cast works together.
You also get glimpse of Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith and his pretty good acting skills. Imdb rated the show an 8.6 out of 10 and I couldn’t agree more with the rating.
If you’re looking for something to get hooked too, this should be in your top five options. All episodes are uploaded onto Netflix.