4. 527 East 12th Street
In 1978, Basquiat and his girlfriend Alexis Adler moved into a small apartment at 527 East 12th Street. Before this, he stayed at a loft on Canal Street with Stan Peskett, a British artist. Basquiat made many connections through parties at the loft, and before moving to the East Village apartment, he made money selling hand-painted postcards and t-shirts. Upon moving to the East Village, he became close with many artists in the area, hanging out at spots like Mudd Club and Club 57.
The Mudd Club attracted the likes of Madonna, Patti Astor, Blondie, and many other celebrities, but Basquiat and his friends noticed how the area was predominantly white. Basquiat was introduced to uptown graffiti and rap artists, and around this time, The Village Voice published an article postulating about these mysterious SAMO signs. After a break with Diaz, “SAMO is dead” signs began to appear.