Harlem After MJ

The entrepreneurial spirit of 125th Street was intensified by the death of Michael Jackson. This 8' recording captures the sounds of all the different characters who came out to make a quick buck.

It begins with a street preacher (0-45') who was standing at the corner of 125th & Frederick Douglass Boulevard. The Apollo's side of the block was choked with vendors. The guy blaring "Off The Wall" (1:48-2:20) was selling CD-R's of MJ's music. You can also hear the hawking of t-shirts, hats and posters. In front of the Apollo, a group of people were shouting inside the theater for the management to turn up the music (3:23-3:40).

Things got more novel after crossing the street. There was a vendor selling Spider-Man and Hannah Montana "workbooks, pop-ups and baby books" (6:23-6:32). The street preacher returns briefly before the recording comes across several 3-card monte games (7:30-end).