The Crip Walk, also known as the C-Walk, is a dance move that originated in the
early 1970s by Crip gang members from the South Central Los Angeles area, and
has since spread worldwide. The dance is primarily an act of performing quick and
intricate footwork. History
The rivalry between the Crips and the Bloods spilled over into the world of
entertainment, with the adoption of the gang dance by various rappers on the
West Coast of the United States, who gave it its name, the Crip Walk. This
dance involves the movement of one's feet, classically to the spelling of
C-R-I-P. It was used by Crips at parties to display affiliation, particularly
vis-a-vis rival gang the Bloods. It was also used after killing someone to give
the kill a Crip signature. MTV declined to broadcast any music videos that
contained the Crip Walk. The Crip Walk originated in the 1970s in Compton, a
suburb of Los Angeles, California. The Crip walk is often referred to
throughout many rap songs, including Xzibit tracks such as "Get Your Walk On"
and J-kwon's "Hood Hop". The C-Walk was originally a symbolic dance strictly for
Crip gang members in the early 1980s in South Central Los Angeles, however by
the early 1990s the dance had evolved into a popular hip-hop dance. Today the
dance is known to many as the "Clown Walk". The dance was originally used by
Crip members to spell out their names and other Crip symbols. Gang members
would often spell out the word "Bloods", the name of their rival gang, before
crossing it out with a nimble movement of the feet. It is believed that the
Crip Walk was used as a signal to initiate robberies – a lookout would
scout out a location while other crip members watched and waited for the
C-Walk to signal that the coast is clear. It is also believed that the Crip
Walk was performed soon after the slaying of a rival gang member.
Examples In Westside Connection's video for the
song "Hoo Bangin'", WC can be seen doing the Crip Walk.
Snoop Dogg can be seen doing the walk in the video for "Drop It Like It's Hot".
The song "Get Your Walk On" by Xzibit heavily references the Crip Walk.
The song "C Walk" by Kurupt. Eight Tray Gangster Crips gang member
Damian "Football" Williams did a celebratory C-Walk after striking truck
driver Reginald Denny with a concrete slab during the Rodney King riots.
Tennis player Serena Williams caused a minor stir at the 2012 Summer Olympic
tennis tournament when she did a Crip Walk immediately after defeating Maria
Sharapova in the gold-medal match at Centre Court, Wimbledon.
Variations of Crip Walk = Killwaukee Walk=
Modern day K-Walk is a dance that derives from the original C-Walk;
however, it has no gang affiliation and is generally a lot more complex in terms
of execution. What separates the K-Walk from the one originated by the Crips is
the absence of hand signs and other gestures symbolizing gang affiliations.
It was founded somewhere in 2013, by "Meebo" in the West Coast.
= Clown Walk= The Clown Walk is a variation of the
Crip Walk. The dance is sometimes abbreviated as "C-walk," causing
confusion as to whether people are Crip Walking, Clown Walking or Crown Walking.
Clown is based on, and takes many moves from, the original Crip Walk; however,
it has no gang affiliation and is generally a lot more complex. Clown Walk
moves consist of basic V, Shuffle, Heeltoe, and X-hop. Dancers who utilize
this particular form of dance often customize their own moves to make it
unique. = Crown Walk=
The Crown Walk is a variation of the Crip Walk and the Clown Walk. The dance
is sometimes abbreviated as "C-walk," causing confusion as to whether people
are Crip Walking, Clown Walking or Crown Walking. Crown Walk moves consist of the
same set as Clown Walk. = Blood Bounce=
The Blood Bounce is an alternative dance performed by the Bloods. This variation
includes a bent-knee as well as a side to side swagger.
= Misconceptions= The general difference between Crip
Walk, Modern Crip Walk, Clown Walk and Crown Walk are the way moves are
executed from elements such as speed, energy, flow, variations, arm control
and bounce. Documentaries
American rapper CJ Mac released a documentary focused on the beginnings of
Crip Walk and its rise in popularity entitled "Cwalk: It's a Way of Livin'".
It features such rappers as Snoop Dogg, WC and Ice-T along with original members
of the Crips. Further reading
Erika Hayasaki. "Some Principals Ban Dance With Gang Ties". Los Angeles
Times. Jacob Thompson. "how to cwalk the v
move". Dance Origin. See also
Gangsta Walking References