last days of disco
A mere 10 years in the making, The Get Down tells the story of hip-hop’s dizzying rise
The lowdown on Baz Luhrmann’s first TV series, The Get Down.
The hype surrounding Baz Luhrmann’s first foray into TV – 12-part Netflix series The Get Down – has been tangible. The show hasn’t been without controversy, as blown-out budgets and dragging production schedules delayed its release (though the honour of being the most expensive TV series ever created goes to Netflix’s royal family-focused The Crown, out November). But for what it’s worth, The Get Down succeeds in what it sets out to do: explore how, amid the seemingly unstoppable era of disco, hip-hop rose from the street to become the sound of America.
Set in the Bronx between 1977 and 1979, and told from the perspective of the youth who helped shape hip-hop’s ascent, the show’s lead characters are dreamers – the kind you’d expect to see in a Luhrmann production. There’s Shaolin Fantastic (Shameik Moore), the wannabe DJ; Ezekiel (Justice Smith), the lovestruck poet who channels his skill into the mic; and Mylene Cruz (Herizen Guardiola), the pastor’s daughter and object of Ezekiel’s affection, who dreams of being the next Donna Summer. Along for the ride are brothers Dizzee (Jaden Smith, playing a ’70s version of his real-life self), Ra-ra (Skylan Brooks) and Boo-boo (Tremaine Brown Jr, who was discovered busking on the New York subway). The sheer size and scope of the series had the visionary director calling up more than a few experts to help co-produce or consult. As always, wife/oscar-winning designer Catherine Martin was tasked with bringing the era to life, while ’90s hip-hop legend Nas was, by Luhrmann’s own account, a “huge creative force” on the show, lending his skill to creating the allimportant rhymes which exist somewhere between “pure rap, narration and sort of Greek chorus comment”. DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, the original pioneers of hip-hop in the Bronx, also sat down with the show’s creator to ensure absolute authenticity.
But, of course, it’s as much about the fashion as it is the music, and the runway’s ongoing love affair with everything ’70s means even if you’re not auditorily inclined, the costumes are worth your time. Costume designer Jeriana San Juan chronicles the changing musical landscape through the characters’ wardrobes: in the first episode alone, we see Mylene and her girlfriends get dressed up to hit a club in Halston-esque dresses, while Shaolin rocks sportswear and impeccable red Pumas, and graffiti artist Dizzee dons personalised denim. As the series weaves through the light-speed evolution of the era, where alongside hip-hop, punk was emerging at the iconic music club CBGB and voguing was pre-madonna in Harlem, San Juan tackles the sudden sartorial change with precision (mostly because her team made almost every outfit from scratch). And if you ask us, the sound, the style, the set design... it’s worth every cent over budget.
The first six episodes of The Get Down are streaming now on Netflix, with the second half set to screen in 2017