“The Get Down” | Shaolin, Dizzee, and Mastering Multiple Skills

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The Get Down — the Netflix series chronicling the fictional lives of young people developing what would become hip hop culture — debuted August 12. I confess to binge-watching the entire first season. And in less than 24 hours, I re-watched it. Purely for the dances.

10 Reasons to Get Down with The Get Down.

In the epic pilot episode, Shaolin Fantastic (played by Shameik Moore) is heralded as this mythical figure who articulates beautiful graffiti art as well as amazing break moves on the dance floor. It is clear that his ability is self-evident and cleverly mastered. Yet by the end of the episode, Shaolin gives up graffiti art (and ostensibly break dancing) in favor of becoming a full-time DJ. And gifts the rest of spray paints to Dizzee, played by Jaden Smith (taking Shaolin’s place as the show’s graffiti expert). Shaolin was built up as this superhuman figure, who could do everything that is creative about hip hop — graffiti, breaking, and deejaying — exceptionally well.  So this shift in character not only makes no sense for The Get Down, it makes no sense for how multi-dimensional creative people process their work.

Hip hop started as a collective of several creative people writing rhymes, cutting breakbeats, blending disco with martial arts and floor gymnastics, and drawing graffiti art. So maybe the decision to have Shaolin take a break from graffiti art early in the series is a reflection of how this collective broke off into several factions: The emceeing, of course, went on to become the largest, most commercially profitable component. The deejaying was absorbed into nightclub culture, creating house, jungle, and electronic music. And the graffiti art was absorbed into commercial art and design.

This decision in the writer’s room to reduce Shaolin’s interests, and shift graffiti interests to Dizzee articulates society’s tendency to encourage talented people to pursue their dreams, but tell them to focus their energy on one discipline. Shaolin could be seen a jack of all trades, but a master of none. For multi-talented creative people like these two, giving up something they’re good at in favor of another thing — or suggesting one is only really good at one thing — is pointless and unnecessary.

This frustrates me to no end. I have long resisted the urge to focus because I love everything graphic design affords. It’s an interdisciplinary field, so asking me to give up, say, animation in favor of experience design is like asking me to cut off my right arm.  Sure, I can work with my left. But I suffer greatly by not having my right.

Plus, I come from the school of thought where a graphic designer is a generalist. Like Saul Bass and the Vignellis, I learned that if I want to make a piece of clothing one day, I can. Or a piece of furniture the next day. Or a logo, a typeface, or an animation the next day … I can. I don’t have to limit my scope, as long as I apply the same level of discipline, teamwork, follow-through, and purpose.

I can imagine Shaolin loves being a DJ by night. But in 20 years, I can also imagine him drawing all day in a studio, presenting his work to clients, and winning awards (and maybe cutting a rug or two on the weekends).  I’d imagine he’d go on to become a really talented art director at a major agency. Either way, I can imagine Shaolin or Dizzee being hip hop itself: Multi-dimensional and not apologizing for it.

Images from Netflix.