Despite the lack of agreement of the origins of the Crip name, the general consensus is that the Crips originated in West Los Angeles, California in the late 1960s.  Stories about the their name include that it was taken from the movie Tales of the Crypt, taken from a street gang called the Cribs, or taken from the word Kryptonite, a substance powerful enough to subdue Superman.  However, the idea that the name was derived from a street gang called the Cribs is the most widely accepted.  The Cribs are believed to be an offshoot of the Slausons, which, at one time, was the largest black street gang in South Central Los Angeles.

Starting their criminal activity on and around high school campuses, the Crips preyed on non-gang members by extorting money and committing assaults and robberies.  The Crips quickly earned a reputation as the strongest black street gang and, therefore, other gangs then began to incorporate the “Crip” name into their own names, thus becoming Crip sets.  For example, the Rollin’ 20 Gang became the Rollin’ 20 Crips and the Main Street Gang became the Main Street Crips.  Although these gangs adopted the Crip name, they remained independent and maintained their own individual leadership and membership.  These groups identified with the color blue, the school color of Washington High School in Los Angeles.  Generally, the Crips align themselves with the Folk Nation.