What Gang are Rappers in?

People always associate music and rap with gangs, following their lyrics, associations, and lifestyles; could it be true that rappers are gang members? If yes, what gang are rappers in, and how do they operate? 

The reality of hip-hop is that most of its stories are success, survival, and street hussles too. From petty crime related lyrics to the raps about the breaking spirit, rappers in their most muse-inspired lyrics famously look at the world.

Some of those realities toe the line hand in glove with gang culture, creating intrigue and suspicion, if they are actually gang members?

Are Rappers Gang Members?

Not all rappers are gang members but many of them are. Majority of the artists employ facets of street life to capture the attention of audience, which feels the pain felt in the course of struggling to survive in an unfriendly environment. 

Forcing the narrative to be successful rapper, most join gangs. They narrate to their fans who may have passed through that phase or have a way of identifying with the struggle. 

First analyze what the word “gang” means. A traditional gang therefore refers to an organization that controls a particular territory through criminal and sometimes violent means in defending or expanding particular spheres of influence. 

Beginning with the Italian Mafia, The Bloods, The Crips, and Mara Salvatrucha 13 are just a few of the gangs that have incorporated into numerous urban areas and with several artists within hip-hop currently. 

Some rappers can boast about gang membership; others just create gang characters or just act as if to appear as ‘tough gangster boys’ for the sake of it and merely for the sake of ‘credibility’. 

What Gang are Rappers in USA?

In the United States only, the rap scene has its own legends affiliated with some of the most dangerous gangs in the country. A few of those include:

1. Bloods

Bloods have been a formed enemy group in los Angeles to the Crips since early 1970s and are for sure associated with the color red. Many well-known rappers state their association with this gang and continue to use symbols of, or to name words, this group in the songs they record.

2. Crips

They came out of Los Angeles and are one of the blood’s biggest rivals; the Crips date back from the late 1960s. And not by coincidence, their color is blue. It’s common to find many of the rappers who are associated with this gang to have numerous allusions to the Crips.

3. Vice Lords

This gang is another one that originated in Chicago, and it seems that it is one of the oldest street gangs in this city. Although there may not be a number of rappers that are from Chicago and famous in mainstream rap, many a rapper who hails from this city is known to have ties with the Vice Lords fraternity.

4. Latin Kings

Latin Kings as one of the oldest groups from Chicago, originated from the Hispanic population. The passing of its influence reaches all over the United States and Latin America. 

Some of the Hispanic rappers, together with some of the Latin trap artists, adapted from or are connected to this gang.

It’s undeniable that some of the rappers actually have affiliations to actual gangs though it is not always the case. Of them some have connections which belong to a period of life they no longer live in. 

Some may just pay respect to the hood they were raised in which I think was more representative of the gang influence on the areas but not the participating members.

Top 15 Most Notorious Rappers

Here’s a rundown of some of the most notorious rappers and what makes them iconic:

1. Tupac Shakur

He was known as a gangster rapper, and with his album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he took his place among new rappers. Living forever in the cultural stratosphere for his passionate, politically driven poetry that extended an anthemic tribute to raw life on the streets.

2. Ice-T

An original member of the West Coast hip-hop scene, Ice-T made gangsta rap music famous because of his gritty description of life in the ghetto that birthe; later generations of more explicit rude boy rappers including N.W.A as well as Snoop Dogg.

3. Jadakiss

A raspy voice, infamous laugh and tough lyrical aggression, Jadakiss quickly builds a reputation of one of the most skillful rappers emerging from New York.

4. Chief Keef

One of the originators of the drill music, in his songs such as “I Don’t Like” and “Love Sosa,” painted gritty pictures of South Side Chicago, securing international attention for the drill genre.

5. Pusha T

Pusha T’s storytelling and acclaimed wordplay, especially on the Fear of God mixtape, earned him a reputation for incredibly detailed and, often, dramatic descriptions of his prior experiences.

6. Jay-Z

Jay-Z from Brooklyn projects to the King of America: From the backdrop of Brooklyn project housing he turned into a mogul lyrically narrating the life of a hustler and off the mic constructing an empire as a businessman rapper and cultural icon.

7. Eminem

His technical proficient as a rapper can be seen by his rapidity ratio as well as gross-out lyrics that engaged Eminem into hip hop’s top echelon of lyrical fame as he sought to be one of hip-hop pioneers to personally battle with his troubles.

8. 50 Cent

Shooting at point blank and surviving, powerful narratives together with a raw and rough character on Get Rich or Die Tryin’ established the 50 Cent legend.

9. Cardi B

Due to her thorny character and jingles, Cardi B was among the most influential women in hip-hop since her acceptance in 2017.

10. Nicki Minaj

Animated and colorful, great both in rap and pop, featuring alter egos, Nicki was one of the most influential women of the modern rap culture.

11. Lil Wayne

With an original voice and very innovative approach to wordplay, Tha Carter series of his released Lil Wayne as one of the most versatile and hardworking artists in hip-hop today.

12. Vanilla Ice

And so, Vanilla Ice did bring hip-hop into the mass market, despite being reproached for making tunes, which were closer to pop.

13. MC Hammer

MC Hammer came into mainstream pop culture with the slick dancing in ‘U Can’t Touch This’ hammer made his crossover from rap into pop and although the money troubles came soon afterwards.

14. Ludacris

With his funny and lively attitude along with his full-time acting job, Ludacris is quite popular in the hip-hop community now and has made songs like “Move.”

15. Snoop Dog

Whether it be in his freestyle with Dr. Dre, or his first album, Snoop would frequently discuss his position as a critic.

Bloods and Crips Rappers You May Know

Numerous rappers have come forward with Blood or Crip affiliations, some embracing the culture in their public lives and music, such as:

Bloods

• The Game: For connections to the Cedar Block Piru Bloods of Compton.
• Lil Wayne: Even though he’s not from a gang infested Los Angeles anymore, the initial connection of Wayne has been shown to be Blood affiliated through the use of lyrics and imagery.
• YG: A product of the Tree Top Piru Bloods, this is an identification which the rapper uses frequently in instance such as these.

Crips

• Snoop Dogg: He is regarded as one of the biggest rappers of the Long Beach Crips and has had connections with them since then.
• Nipsey Hussle: A Crip Rollin 60s Nipsey more than an artist focused on the betterment of the community he never forgot nor wavered from where he came from.
• Blueface: He is so recognized because of his link to the group Crip. All those uses of Crip slang and signs are acceptable to be used in any of his songs.

But this doesn’t isinuate that the artists have engaged or do engage in criminal endeavours, but represent aspects of the artists’ roots, or groups with which they may feel some affiliation or symbiosis.

Conclusion

It is also important to note that while some rappers affiliated with gangs, that does no… Many of them employ such stories to say where they are from or to tap an audience that values it. 

It is important for many hiphop listeners to understand that gang culture is very much rife in hiphop but there are moments where one has to see things as they are. 

Today many artists take their instruments to educate, as well as deceive that audience of what is genuine concerning the artist’s life. In the last place, gangsta rappers are real and fictitious or fictionalized together in an art kind of a word that the street is one world and the studio is another world or it is separate.