Crips Investigated In Rappers’ Deaths

The Crips, a violent street gang with roots in Los Angeles, is under investigation in the deaths of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., Time magazine reports.

Police in Las Vegas believe a member of the Crips was responsible for the Sept. 7 drive-by shooting of Shakur, 25, near the Las Vegas Strip, Time says in its March 24 edition.

And Crips hired as bodyguards are under investigation in the March 9 drive-by killing in Los Angeles of The Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, Time says, citing unidentified sources.

Wallace, 24, was affiliated with New York-based Bad Boy Entertainment, which hired Crips bodyguards for his Los Angeles visit; Shakur recorded on Los Angeles-based Death Row Records, which reportedly has ties to the Bloods, bitter Crips foes.