Shan Nicholson

Through archival footage Nicholson tells the story of the real Warriors that walked the streets of New York City in the 1970s and the harsh reality of gang life in a city that seemed to be falling apart.

A deep history of racial division, a seemingly untouchable Sheriff, and a young black man who dies while handcuffed in the back of a cop car: New Iberia, Louisiana is a small town with some big problems.

In the late 1970s, the "greatest city in the world" was teetering on the edge of total chaos. A failed economy, crime and en mass housing corruption gave way to a city in crisis. Yet out of the economic and social strife that held the "Big Apple" hostage, a family of homegrown cultures that would forever change the world began to emerge. Downtown Calling not only documents, in detail, the evolution of New York City's fertile music and art subculture during this period, but how its collective output continues to play a prominent, driving role in the international fashion, art and music industries today.

Atlanta’s impact on hip-hop is undeniable, from chart-topping artists and viral dance crazes to the city’s social, economic, and political influence. Atlanta may not be hip-hop’s birthplace, but it's now the cultural center of the movement.

Through archival footage Nicholson tells the story of the real Warriors that walked the streets of New York City in the 1970s and the harsh reality of gang life in a city that seemed to be falling apart.

A deep history of racial division, a seemingly untouchable Sheriff, and a young black man who dies while handcuffed in the back of a cop car: New Iberia, Louisiana is a small town with some big problems.

In the late 1970s, the "greatest city in the world" was teetering on the edge of total chaos. A failed economy, crime and en mass housing corruption gave way to a city in crisis. Yet out of the economic and social strife that held the "Big Apple" hostage, a family of homegrown cultures that would forever change the world began to emerge. Downtown Calling not only documents, in detail, the evolution of New York City's fertile music and art subculture during this period, but how its collective output continues to play a prominent, driving role in the international fashion, art and music industries today.

In the late 1970s, the "greatest city in the world" was teetering on the edge of total chaos. A failed economy, crime and en mass housing corruption gave way to a city in crisis. Yet out of the economic and social strife that held the "Big Apple" hostage, a family of homegrown cultures that would forever change the world began to emerge. Downtown Calling not only documents, in detail, the evolution of New York City's fertile music and art subculture during this period, but how its collective output continues to play a prominent, driving role in the international fashion, art and music industries today.

Atlanta’s impact on hip-hop is undeniable, from chart-topping artists and viral dance crazes to the city’s social, economic, and political influence. Atlanta may not be hip-hop’s birthplace, but it's now the cultural center of the movement.