The Crip Walk, also known as the C-Walk, is a

dance move Dance moves or dance steps (more complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures, dance movements, or dance variations) are usually isolated, defined, and organized so that beginning dancers can learn and use them independently of each ...

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 A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

between the Crips and the

Bloods The Bloods are a primarily African Americans, African American street gang which was founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for Crips–Bloods gang war, its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn ...

spilled over into the world of entertainment, with the adoption of the gang dance by various

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

s on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...

, 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 MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

declined to broadcast any music videos that contained the Crip Walk.

Examples

*Tennis player

Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WT ...

performed the walk at the 2012 Summer Olympic tennis tournament after defeating

Maria Sharapova Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (, ; born 19 April 1987) is a Russian former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 21 weeks. Sharapova won 36 WTA Tour-level sin ...

in the gold-medal match at

Centre Court Centre Court is a tennis court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (also known as the All England Club) and is the main court used in the Wimbledon Championships, the third annual Grand Slam event of the tennis calendar. It is consi ...

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

. *The

Super Bowl LVI halftime show The Super Bowl LVI halftime show, officially known as the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, was the Halftime show, halftime entertainment of Super Bowl LVI, which took place on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The s ...

in 2022 had a synchronized Crip Walk led by

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

. *The

Super Bowl LIX halftime show The Super Bowl LIX halftime show, officially known as the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show for sponsorship reasons, was the halftime entertainment of Super Bowl LIX, which took place on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New ...

in 2025 headlined by

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

featured Serena Williams briefly doing the Crip Walk.

Documentary

American rapper

CJ Mac Bryan Ross, also known as CJ Mac is an American rapper and actor. Early life CJ Mac was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He was a member of the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips. Music career He released his independent debut EP, ''Co ...

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

, WC and

Ice-T Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...

along with original members of the Crips.

Overview

Examples

Documentary

See also

References

Further reading