I would just like to start by saying thank you Dr. Pabon for making this show a part of our class! I saw this show when it first came out and forgot how good it was! Throwing it back to one of the readings we read earlier in the semester, “The Hood Comes First”, the author mentions that “the beat continues to provide sometimes stunning territorial confrontations between black expressivity and white law-and-order” (5). This is evident in how different elements of hip hop are perceived in the Bronx, where The Get Down takes place. Graffiti artists are looked at as criminals and Koch makes it his mission to criminalize what they do. We also see how having music battles and being immersed in this culture is looked down upon and reprimanded since it is seen as garbage and without value. We see this in Koch’s opinion as well as Papa Fuerte, who is working with the white man to get what he wants. However this does not stop the Get Down Brothers to transform the spaces they enter. Their energy and vibes are felt throughout every crowd. Like Forman says, “youth who adhere to the styles, images, and values of hip-hop culture have demonstrated unique capacities to construct different spaces and, simultaneously, to construct spaces differently” (3). 

Switching over to Mylene’s situation…she’s amazing! Now, as a black rising female artist, sexism is very much seen in her journey. She is stuck in this dilemma of trying to please her father in order to profit his image and that of the church’s. She is also being controlled by the label since they want her to appear more “sexy” in order to appeal to a greater audience. In her argument with Shaolin, he expressed that she could never be as great as other women because she lacked sexiness and movement in her hips. This forced Mylene to reconsider what she was doing and if he was actually right. The same came from her producer, forcing her to take on a gig that sexualized her body and complete image. As mentioned in the “Hip Hop is not Responsible for Sexism”, “mass media corporations profit extensively from promoting sexism” (155). This is also very clear when she was asked whether or not she had a boyfriend on TV. Before answering, she looked over to her team and they nodded no. By saying that she did not have a boyfriend, she became more appealing to male audiences. 

Lastly, the “Rumor Has It” reading sheds light on masculinity within the hip hop world. “Within this atmosphere, the queer hop-hopper is forced to remain in the closet out of fear that his ‘sexual business’–sexual orientation, partners, proclivities, etc. –will be publicly exposed” (127). Dizzie and Thor’s relationship is kept lowkey because Dizzie already feels as though he is an alien as a black man. Being that he is a gay, black man, he feels even more of an alien. Revealing his sexuality can affect how others view him in the hip hop world.