"The Get Down" is an Epic Tale of Hip-Hop's Origins

The Get Down is a Netflix Original Series that chronicles the emergence of hip-hop culture in New York.

Image via David Lee and Netflix

Set in New York’s South Bronx, The Get Down relives the historic period of the late 1970s, when hip-hop and rap rose above the chaos of bankruptcy and the borough’s ruins.

Centered on a bunch of teenagers whose energy and enthusiasm for music would change both their city and the world, The Get Down introduces viewers to the art of turntablism, MC-ing, b-boying and graffiti, all through a music-driven narrative.

Famed director Baz Luhrmann got his inspiration to create the show ten years ago, when he saw a framed photograph of two kids in hip-hop stance at a Parisian restaurant, taken by famed photographer Jamel Shabazz.

Pondering over how so much creativity came from New York during that period, Luhrmann teamed up with collaborators like hip-hop artists Nas, Grandmaster Flash and hip-hop historian Nelson George, to find out the answer and create a compelling story that traced the journey of hip-hop.

Image via Netflix

“Fundamentally, this show isn’t simply about the roots of hip-hop or the demise of disco,” Luhrmann said. “The ultimate character is childhood — that ‘authentic impulse to action’, the simple happiness, and the accidental discoveries that made hip-hop possible.”

The Get Down was partially shot on location in the Bronx, and also filmed across the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn and soundstages in Glendale, Queens.

The show stars Justice Smith, Herizen Guardiola, Shameik Moore, Skylan Brooks, Jaden Smith, T.J. Brown Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and more.

Discerning hip-hop followers will catch the familiar tune of Grandmaster Flash’s DJing and scratching throughout the series. Other artists who have lent their music to the show’s soundtrack include Christina Aguilera, Zayn, Miguel and Nas.

The first six episodes of The Get Down will be released on Netflix this Friday, August 12^th, at 3pm (GMT +8), with six more set to drop next year. Catch the trailer below: