Content Warning: This guide contains references to child neglect and abuse, rape, gruesome death, sexual abuse, underage sex work, substance misuse, and domestic violence.

Cupcake grew up in the 1970s and 1980s in Southern California. During the 1970s, various gangs formed across Los Angeles and surrounding areas, including the Crips and Bloods. In the 1980s, the introduction of crack cocaine led to a rise in gang activity along with severe addiction, particularly among people in disadvantaged communities. This period became known as the “crack epidemic” because of how quickly and widely it spread.

The reason crack cocaine heavily impacted disadvantaged communities was because, compared with powder cocaine, crack cocaine was somewhat more affordable while still producing a euphoria, albeit while also being highly addictive. As addiction to crack went up, so did its demand and production. Similarly, those who were addicted to crack frequently resorted to crime to support their substance use. This created an excuse for local law enforcement, as well as the FBI and CIA, to target areas where crack usage was high and arrest people en masse. The issue reached a point where the CIA was directly accused of setting up and supplying crack to these neighborhoods to facilitate arrests, although the agency denied the accusations (Delaval, Craig.