The World Famous VIP Records sign will soon return to the public eye, following approval by the Long Beach City Council to refurbish and reinstall it at a small park planned to be named for the historic landmark.
Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to spend up to $235,00 to repair the sign, which has deteriorated since it was put in storage in 2018.
Before then, the sign had been a bucket-list destination for hip-hop and rap fans. But when VIP Records was forced to move, the sign was removed from the shop’s original Pacific Coast Highway location — now a 7-Eleven.
It’s unclear how soon the sign could be seen at the park, which is just across the street, at the southwest corner of PCH and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
Another vote must go before a city committee to designate the city-owned, vacant lot as “The VIP Records Park.” A budget detailing the project’s scope will then go out to bid for a potential contractor before coming back to the City Council for a final vote.
Long Beach will also pay VIP Records $170,000 in licensing fees to display its sign on city property for the next 5 years. Regular maintenance will be paid for by the city, while profits from agreements to sublicense the name and logo will be split 50-50 between both parties.
Kelvin Anderson, the longtime owner of VIP Records, noted the timing at Tuesday’s meeting, saying it comes days before the store’s 47th birthday on Jan. 15.
He and others shared personal stories about growing up driving past the sign and attending the store regularly. Many characterized it as their earliest introduction to hip-hop, and one of their proudest examples of Long Beach’s enduring effect on global culture.
Even as the sign sits in storage, tourists have come from across the world to visit VIP Records at its new location, just around the corner from its original store.
The shop was always a community gathering place that nurtured young creatives, helping launch artists like Snoop Dogg, Warren G and the late Nate Dogg. Its notoriety only grew in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when the sign was prominently featured in Snoop’s “Who Am I? (What’s My Name)” video on the store’s roof.
“Long Beach is a big art and music location, and I am just so excited to be a part of it,” Anderson said.