Nick Cannon spoke with VladTV during a recent red carpet event about his darker past that many people may not know about.

Cannon grew up in a neighborhood in southeast San Diego that was home to quite a few members of The Bloods, and growing up he was closely associated with that street organization.  He recalled wearing the gang colors during his youth and experiencing a lot of his friends getting shot or killed.  After he too was shot at he fell back from participating in street violence, and after he got a call from Nickelodeon, he decided to give up the street life for good.

Given Nick Cannon's current image, would you have ever guessed he was once closely associated with the Bloods?