In episodes 4 and 5 of The Get Down, we see Marlene trying to branch out and express herself through her singing. We also see that she has to express herself in private because her self expression is not accepted in her household, especially by her father. Marlene’s father did not understand why her kind of singing was how she chose to express herself because of how new it was to him. This relates to how Fernandes speaks about young people and their hip hop. “Hip Hop was shaping a language that allowed young people to negotiate a political voice for themselves in their societies”. Marlene found a way to express what she was feeling in a way that would make her peers listen and relate to. During these two episodes, graffiti also comes into play. Dizzee has a scene where he explains his writing and what it means. He says that the alien he writes is a representation of someone who will never fit into society no matter how he acts or dresses because of the way he looks which could be how Dizzee sees himself. This relates to the 4th chapter of Graffiti Grrlz when professor speaks about how the graffiti girl lives through her pieces. “The graffiti grrl lives through her graffiti image: the representation of her performance is the performance”. Just as Dizzee represents himself in his graffiti so does the Graffiti Grrl. Lastly, Kuttner and White-Hammond speak about hip hop and connecting to the youth. “Connecting youth to their purpose is about challenging youth artists to think beyond themselves and those close to them–to assess their responsibility and role in society as cultural workers”. This relates to how Francisco helps Ezekiel get a internship to help him stay off the streets and open an opportunity for him to join the society in a way that can benefit him. I have watched this show before but have never made these connects before. It’s eye opening to think about. 🙂