Hip hop street photographer inspires Baz Luhrmann's new series

The Netflix series The Get Down is Baz Lurhmann's latest creation, which showcases the beginnings of hip hop in the late 1970s. The Great Gatsby director and his wife studied images of teenagers from the time, and found Joe Conzo, the hip hop street photographer who's work was incredibly influential. So influential in fact that they even made him a character in the show.

Labeled “the man who took hip hop’s baby pictures” by The New York Times, Joe Conzo attended school with the “pioneers of hip hop”. The photographer who has also shot the likes of Easy A.D, Tony Tone and the Cold Crush Brother's said that he stood out because he “was part of the culture too”.

Spot a Conzo-like character in the background of the new Netflix series available today and view the trailer below.

[Photos: Joe Gonzo Archives]