Black Spades
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The Black Spades were a violent black street gang in New York City during the 1970s.
[edit] Origins
The Black Spades arose out of the Savage Seven because of the increasing number of members.
In the 1970s the various gangs had their own music. They walked ("bopped") around with a box radio blasting their favorite hits. The Black Spades were also participants in the Hoe Avenue peace meeting.
[edit] Decline of gangs and the rise of Hip Hop culture
New York street gang activity peaked in 1973, and then began to decline. Reasons for this decline included violence with other gangs, drug use, and members leaving simply because the gangs became too large.
Times were also changing, and block dance parties and clubs were becoming more popular. The beginnings of Hip hop culture began to form in these dance venues, and as gang members and former gang members started getting involved in more Hip Hop activities, involvement in the gangs declined.
Kool DJ Herc, an early Hip Hop music pioneer, credits gangs like the Black Spades with getting the Hip Hop scene started.
| “ | It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known discotheques back in the days. I had respect from some of the gang members because they used to go to school with me. There were the Savage Skulls, Glory Stompers, Blue Diamonds, Black Cats and Black Spades. | ” |
The Black Spades later became the Zulu Nation in the late 1970s, and then the Universal Zulu Nation, in the 1980s.
