Main Titles
Godfather of Harlem
MGM+
Godfather of Harlem
MGM+
- Client
- MGM+
- Year
- 2019
- What we did
- Concept
- Art direction
- 2D animation
After working with Chris Brancato on the opening titles for Narcos, we teamed up once again to make something special for his series, Godfather of Harlem. DK created a collaged portrait of NYC and the nation during a moment of cultural, social, and political change.
We rebuilt the Harlem of 1963 through archival photography, footage, and the style of Manhattan’s midcentury avant-garde art movement.
A tribute to 1960s Harlem
For the critically acclaimed series, the show creators wanted to plunge viewers into the themes of the show, from crime and civil rights to the American Dream. The series tells the true story of Bumpy Johnson, who returns from ten years in prison to find the Harlem he once ruled in shambles.
Cut, fragment, reconstruct
We paid homage to collages of 1960s Harlem made by African-American artist Romare Bearden. The process included carefully built compositions of torn images from popular magazines, capturing historical moments in America from the Black perspective.
A mirror for today
Paired with the track “Just in Case” by Swizz Beatz, the result is a highly cinematic perspective on a critical era in modern history. A depiction of the fight for the American Dream by any means necessary, the main title puts viewers in the throws of themes and societal issues that are still incredibly relevant today.
Using archival images from the era, we rebuilt the neighbourhood as it looked in the early 60s, enhancing some façades with elements carried over from Harlem's renaissance.
A title that evolves with the series
Each season, we update the title to reflect the narrative timeline of the series and another year of Bumpy's rule.
New scenes and characters were added to the sequence to evolve the title with the series timeline.