Krump is a street dance popularized in the United States that is characterized by free, expressive, exaggerated, and highly energetic movement. The youths who started krumping saw the dance as a way for them to escape gang life and to release anger, in a non-violent way. The root word "Krump" came from the lyrics of a song in the 1990s. It Spells K.R.U.M.P., which is a backronym for Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise. Krumping was created by two dancers: Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis and Jo'Artis "Big Mijo" Ratti in South Central, Los Angeles during the early 2000s. Clowning is the less aggressive predecessor to krumping and was created in 1992 by Thomas "Tommy the Clown" Johnson in Compton, California. In the 1990s, Johnson and his dancers, the Hip Hop Clowns, would paint their faces and perform clowning for children at birthday parties or for the general public.