Crip Walk

Crip Walk
Demonstration of the crip walk
GenreHip-hop dance
YearEarly 1970s
OriginCompton, California, U.S.

The Crip Walk, also known as the C-Walk, is a dance move that was created in the 1970s by first generation Crip members as a method of expression and communication, and has since spread worldwide without its linguistic aspects.

Overview

The dance is primarily an act of performing quick and intricate footwork. 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, often 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. MTV for a time declined to broadcast any music videos that contained the Crip Walk, and some school principals banned it.

Serena Williams briefly performed the dance at the 2012 Summer Olympic tennis tournament after defeating Maria Sharapova in the gold-medal match at Centre Court, Wimbledon; she later stated, "it was just a dance. I didn't know that's what it was called." In the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in 2022, a synchronized Crip Walk was led by Snoop Dogg. The Super Bowl LIX halftime show in 2025 headlined by Kendrick Lamar featured Serena Williams briefly doing the Crip Walk.

Documentary

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 rappers such as Snoop Dogg, WC and Ice-T along with original members of the Crips.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bailey, Richard W. (January 23, 2012). Speaking American: A History of English in the United States. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-517934-7.
  2. ↑ Richard Thomas. A new dialogue (PDF). 2006 European Workshop on Design & Semantics of Form & Movement on October 26, 2006 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Beal Institute for Strategic Creativity. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2009.
  3. ↑ Littlefield, Dana (February 20, 2025). "Serena Williams' crip walk is more than a Drake dis. What it means to LA and Black culture". LAist. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  4. ↑ Michael Newton (2007). Gangsters Encyclopedia. Chrysalis Books. p. 59. ISBN 9781843404026.
  5. ↑ Hayasaki, Erika (June 4, 2002). "Some Principals Ban Dance With Gang Ties". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ Mitchell, Kevin (August 26, 2012). "Serena Williams lets fly with volley at 'crip walk' critics at US Open". The Guardian.
  7. ↑ Vanderhoof, Erin (February 14, 2022). "In the Super Bowl 2022 Halftime Show, the NFL Couldn't Boss Dr. Dre Around". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ Jones, Abby (February 10, 2025). "Watch Kendrick Lamar Play The 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show". Stereogum. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  9. ↑ "C-Walk: It's a Way of Livin' (Video 2003) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved May 31, 2014.

Further reading