Who is ready for season two of the Get Down? We are! Part Two of the Netflix Original fan favorite premieres today, so get your popcorn, afro sheen, and fresh kicks lined up.
EBONY caught up with the crew who is telling the story of the 1970’s disco to hip hop musical revolution. Our social media specialist Dee Williams picked the brains of Justice Smith (Ezekiel), Herizen Guardiola (Mylene) and Shameik Moore (Shaolin Fantastic) to get a feel of who they are and what’s next for the show. Check out the interview below.
EBONY: How much of a hip hop head were you before the filming of the show, and how much did that change as production went on?
Herizen: I wasn’t. I liked hip hop but I wasn’t engrossed in older hip hop. I like trap a lot cause I like to dance hip hop. I like anything with a hard hitting bass. I mostly listen to alternative and EDM, and deep house music and a lot of punk and rock n roll. I really learned a lot about hip hop in this show.
Justice: I wasn’t. My sister was really into hip hop and the environment I grew up in was really into hip hop. But I was really into jazz.
Shamiek: I started dancing to hip hop music when I was 12. I was interested in current hip hop music by the time we did this show.
EBONY: Justice, Have you ever been heart broken in real life like you were in the show?
Justice: I’m a hopeless romantic and I have a big sensitive heart, luckily Ezekiel has that too. I fall in love deeply, I really connect with the people that I fall in love with. Ezekiel’s relationship with Mylene steps into a completely different place than my relationships with my respective partners stems from. Ezekiel has this whole issue with abandonment because of his parents. So when Mylene turns him down in the first episode it’s like losing a limb, it was so heartbreaking for him. I’ve been heartbroken but not like that.
EBONY: Herizen, what advice would you give young girls who are conflicted about being in a relationship and pursuing their dreams
Herizen: Ha! F-them. Do you girl. If he loves you he won’t stop you and you won’t have to make a choice.
EBONY: Shameik, In terms of music and culture, what would you like to see make a return in the hip hop space.
Shameik: Originality. Originality is what was going on in the ’70s that I don’t really think is going on now. Well, Idk…Even though it really isn’t as innovative, it’s still pretty dope.
EBONY: If you guys were around during the Bronx burning riots would you guys have acted the way your character did?
Shameik: Definitely would have stolen the equipment.
Justice: I would have stolen the equipment.
Herizen: Yeah, I wouldn’t have been the pop star I would have been with them robbing.
EBONY: In what ways do we see your characters evolve from season 1?
Justice: They pursue their dreams more diligently, and there is a lot more danger. Mylene and Ezekiel are all trying to balance all of our different relationships and try to stick by our convictions and do right by the people.
Herizen: There is a lot of serious decision making. The stakes are higher and there are a lot more sexier clothing.
Shameik: I’m trying to save us! Shaolin is just kind of going through his…He knows what he wants to happen but I don’t think he really knows how to do it the way everybody else thinks it should be done. You know what I’m sayin’? He doesn’t know how to make everybody happy, so he’s doing it the way he knows how. That’s really his evolution.
Get a clip tease from episode 10 below:
