Bloods
- For the Native American nation, please see Kainai.
The Bloods are a national street gang and one of the largest and most violent originating in Los Angeles, California, USA. They have an intense rivalry with the Crips. Group members are traditionally identified by the red attire such as red bandanas. Various cliques known as "sets" form the gangs, which is sometimes internally split by enmity and difference.
History
The Bloods were formed when several members of the Pirus called on a meeting with other smaller gangs in Los Angeles, to form an alliance called the Bloods. Knowing that the Crips used the color blue to identify each other, the Bloods decided to use an opposing color, red, to identify each other.There has also been a set by the name of the Lime Street Pirus who wear the color green.
During the 1990s, there have been many alleged Bloods gang members in New York City. It has been said that they were formed on Rikers Island, New York City's largest jail facility. While in New York, they have become infamous for various slashings [1].
Following several months of gang violence that killed 40 people, the Tookie Protocol For Peace was negotiated between the Bloods and the Crips in May of 2004. Former Crips member and founder, the late Stanley Tookie Williams helped negotiate the "perpetual peace treaty". [2]
Bloods and hip-hop
A number of popular West Coast rappers are affiliated with Bloods gangs. Ex-G-Unit rapper The Game is a member of the Cedar Block Piru Bloods in Compton, and rapper/producer DJ Quik, also a Compton native, is a known member of the Tree Top Piru Bloods. The Boo-Yaa TRIBE are members of a Samoan Bloods gang in Carson City [3], and Westside Connection rapper Mack 10 is from the Queen Street Bloods in Inglewood. In 1995, Los Angeles producer Ron "Ronnie Ron" Phillips produced the self-titled debut album of the Damu Ridaz, a rap group consisting of gang members from the Denver Lane Bloods.
Rappers with Blood affiliations
- Boo-Yaa TRIBE (Westside Piru Bloods (Carson Samoan Warriors))
- B-Real (of Cypress Hill) (89th Street Family Swan Bloods)
- O.F.T.B. (Bounty Hunter Bloods)
- 2nd II None (Elm Street Piru Bloods)
- Damu Ridaz (Denver Lane Bloods)
- DJ Quik (Tree Top Piru Bloods)
- The Game (Cedar Block Piru Bloods)
- Mack 10 (Queen Street Inglewood Bloods)
- Suge Knight (Mob Piru Bloods)
- Hi C (Compton Tree Top Piru Bloods)
- The Roaddawgs (Inglewood Family Bloods)
- Mausberg (Campanella Park Piru Bloods)
- G.P. (Compton Piru Bloods)
- Sinister (89th Street Family Bloods)
- Terror Twinz (Pacioma Piru Bloods)
- Nuttz (Skyline Piru Bloods)
- Big Wye (Crenshaw Mafia Gangsta Blood)
Trivia
- According to a Los Angeles Weekly profile, the Bloods generally refuse to use the letter C in names, especially when names start with a C, replacing it with the letter K.
- The Bloods refer to crips in disrespect as "krabs".
References
- Yusuf Jah, Sister Shah'keyah, Ice-T, UPRISING : Crips and Bloods Tell the Story of America's Youth In The Crossfire, ISBN 0684804603