The Sounds of the Underground Page #2

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in the projects and we have

been through this all our life.

We move into shelters, dealing

with everything. You got to take

life as it hits you. That's how

you got to see it.

(Dog barking)

They judge us because

the way we dress, the way act,

sometimes even the way we walk.

This is my mom's. That's my name.

That's where I'm from.

(Soft music)

Trust no one. You know you

can't trust no one in this world.

Beast and M.O.B.

Money over b*tches.

All you want to do is buy these.

I need a lighter. You don't got

a lighter?

(Background chatter)

We live it and we love it.

Dancing and nobody else

does it like we do.

(Booming music)

My name is Marcus.

I was born in Brooklyn,

boom. I'm ten. Peace.

(Booming music)

My name is Joshua Himenez.

Middle name Tai... freaky Tai.

That's what the girls call me.

(Hip hop music)

Rey Rosado, I was born in the BX

1-25-81, I'm 24 years old.

(Clapping)

(Train sounds)

I've been doing it over

probably 12 years, 13.

About. He's been doing it for how long?

-Three years.

It's just a hustle we do on

a daily basis. Get that money,

that bread. You know how it is.

If I want to kill the J the R...

-The D, the A.

-Basically

speaking, all trains we have to necessary.

-When performers come

into the subway, um... -Onto the car.

...onto the car, it's almost an

intrusion of sorts,

you know, and as New Yorkers,

we're almost trained. You hear

the speakers, the people

saying, don't give to panhandlers

and stuff like that and it's

almost too much in your face sometimes.

(Train sounds)

You got more self-employed

people in the subway than you

have in the whole world. (Laughs)

Because not just music.

Actually, you have

enterprises underground.

(Train sounds)

So, it's a full eight hour day,

when you think about it. If you think

oh it's only three hours performing,

but it's all the other stuff.

Like, when I'm there

adrenaline takes over. I don't

care about anything.

It doesn't feel hard. The hard

part is the hauling.

I'm actually from- I was born

and raised in New York City.

I grew up in the

Lower East Side.

About seven or eight, we moved up

to an area called Inwood;

it's the top of Manhattan and

we lived in the

projects and we were pretty

poor.

I've been busking for maybe six

or seven years.

But, before that, I didn't have

a license. Before about five years ago

and then I auditioned for program called

Music Under New York, which actually

is sanctioned by the city and

gives you a license

and the opportunity to perform

at various stations

throughout the city and what's

good about that is you won't

run off by the cops and you're

allowed to use an amplifier

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