MovieChat Forums > Gang Tapes (2001) Discussion > K to the Crip

K to the Crip

posted 19 years ago by nycsushi
4 replies | jump to latest

I've got a few questions about this movie if anyone can enlighten me.

Ok so what’s the deal with the changing of C to K for Chris's name? I'm somewhat familiar with the behavior that crips like to replace the k's in their letters with c's and bloods are known to put a cross through C's if they have to make one or something to that extent.

So why would they have a problem with the C in his name if they are crips?
Chris is friends with what I assume to be 2 or 3 hardcore crip bangers and their circle of friends based on all the blue and the way that blood threatened him. So why Kris? Am I missing something here about the C or am I just completely lost?

And why do they like white T-shirts so much? Is that sort of the civilian dress down for casual rollin and then you pull up the blue boxers and bust a cap?

[–] Orshu 19 years ago

Excerpt from an interview with the director:

Q:I also noticed there is a little bit of blue in the film, but most of the characters wear plain white T-shirts.

A:That’s the reality. Again if you look at a lot of gang films made in the last several years, a lot of them really show a lot of blue and a lot of red. Part of my research, what I found was that the physical wearing of colors is not what’s really going on anymore. You know what I mean. A lot of Bloods will wear—there’s one scene where you see a Blood and he’s dressed head to toe in red—I got that when I drove into a Blood neighborhood and so many people were dressed down that way. For the most part people aren’t wearing the colors. They’re not trying to put themselves out there.

full interview can be found here:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/gangtapesinterview.html

[–] djspyderyce 18 years ago

damn that foo wrong .... some do still dress like that... but that shiet is old skool thats like chicano status ...now peepz like wearing fubu and southpole and all that shiet for bangin' styles and attire change

[–] mach3blackbird 18 years ago

I think Kris with a 'K' is just his birth name, nothing more. I doubt he changed it consciously. Also, I dunno if you noticed, but during Cyril's long monologue about how he got his name, he actually mentions this. He mentions that the second dude he smoked was named Chris with a 'C', and then he tells Kris that he's bothered by the fact that he spells his name with a 'K' and that he thinks he should change it.

Also, as Ripp mentions in the interview, the whole "colors" thing is WAY played out with Crips and Bloods these days - and it's been that way for over 15 years now. This is one of the reasons "Gang Tapes" is so much more realistic than 99% of the Hollywood films out there that feature Los Angeles gangs. Furthermore, the Eastside Ridaz is indeed a Crip gang (they're a real-life set, not one made up for the movie), yet you'll see that several of them wear red in the movie. The first time we meet Kris, notice that he has on a shirt with red on it.

[–] 18 years ago

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