LBC

By Deane Barker

This is an abbreviation you hear in hip hop occasionally. It can stand for:

  • “Long Beach, California”
  • “Long Beach City”
  • “Long Beach (and) Compton”
  • “Long Beach Crip” (referring to a specific street gang)

Why I Looked It Up

I first heard it on “Gin and Juice” by Snoop Dogg.

With so much drama in the L-B-C
It’s kind of hard bein’ Snoop D-O-double-G

I always thought it was “Long Beach (and) Compton.” I don’t know where I got this impression.

Then my Dad and I drove the PCH north from its start until it heads inland at Long Beach. I wanted to make sure I heard the lyric correctly, so I looked it up, and Genius Lyrics says this:

L-B-C stands for Long Beach City. It originally stood for Long Beach Crips, but as rap grew more popular, the acronym took on a more general meaning. Snoop was known to be affiliated and even facing murder charges involving the Crips at the time.

This Acronym can also stand for Long Beach Compton which describes people who were living on the border of both communities. Because Dre is from Compton, this acronym works in this song.

Urban Dictionary was a bit more muddled, with some people specifically disputing that definition.

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