In The Get Down episodes 4 and 5, we see that Marlene’s expression of herself through singing is not accepted in her household. Marlene felt that she could only be her true self when not in the comfort of her own home, and this reminds me of the reading assigned where Kuttner and White-Hammond say “connecting youth to their purpose is about challenging youth artists to think beyond themselves and those close to them- to assess their responsibility as a role in society as cultural workers”. Marlene was indeed challenged to think beyond herself, and beyond those close to her, otherwise she would have just ran away from her goal of singing. In both episodes, Dizzee is explaining how he represents himself through his graffiti. Dizzee’s classic alien that he writes is his own symbol of an individual who does not fit into the guidelines of society; an individual with no voice. This relates to the reading by Fernandes where he speaks about youth and hip-hop, saying that hip hop was “shaping a language that allowed young people to negotiate a political voice for themselves in their society.” Dizzee explains here that the alien will never fit into society despite the way he acts or even dresses because of his appearance of being an alien. I think that Dizzee found a way to voice his opinions of someone like himself in a society, by using the illusion of the alien. Dizzee and other graffiti artists are so much more than the percieved notion of vandals or street kids. These are young and talented artists who are trying to live their own dream in an oppressed society by simply being noticed, even if thats through the illegal risk of marking a public building. I really enjoyed both of these episodes, as I found that I felt more connected to the characters, especially Dizzee.