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‘In the clurb, we all fam’: This beloved catchphrase from a cult favorite TV show is suddenly bigger than ever

‘You know them?’

Photo of Charlotte Colombo

Charlotte Colombo

Man talking with text that says 'Me NOT code switching with my white friends' and That one sound from Tiktok logo(l), Woman talking with text that says 'My Sim when someone they just met dies'(c), Man talking with text that says 'when i reference a tiktok to someone and they don't get it'(r)
That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.
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The best internet trends are those that are literal gibberish. Remember Yanny and Laurel? This latest TikTok trend not only taps into the weirdness, but also comes from a beloved cult TV show. So, in other words, has all the ingredients to be a viral hit. Here’s what we know about this TikTok sound turned meme.

The sound

@vstreetlove Maybe the new expansion pack will fix this 💀 #sims4 #thesims4 #blacksimmer #thesims #simstoks #sims #simsbelike #sims4tok #simstok ♬ original sound – Maggie Winters
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“You know them?” a female voice asks. “No,” another replies. “In the clurb, we all fam.” The first voice then asks the second speaker to repeat what she’s saying until she eventually says: “In the club, we are all family. Are you racist?”

Contextually, this sound is about the use of African-American Vernacular English, but when it comes to this TikTok trend, users are interpreting this dialogue more widely. This trend specifically involves one person saying something that’s either a very niche topic area, or literally difficult to pronounce and understand.

Here’s some examples:

“My sims when someone they met just died,” said @vstreetlove.

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“When I reference a TikTok to someone and they don’t get it,” said @coriithaplayboy

“POV: You’re the only one who actually knows what your toddler is saying,” said @litfrank

“Me referencing a Vine around someone who’s too young,” said @miahlashun.

The sound has gone so viral, Sabrina Carpenter even gave it a try.

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Where’s it from?

@coriithaplayboy this why i only be around my friends😭 #for #fyp #popculture ♬ original sound – Maggie Winters

This sound comes from Broad City, a sitcom that aired on Comedy Central between 2014 and 2019. The show follows best friends Abbi and Ilana as they try to navigate life in the Big Apple. In this scene in particular, Abbi and Ilana have managed to get into a club night at Jay Z’s 40/40 club. 

When Abbi expresses concern that fellow club-goers might know they’ve gate-crashed the club night, Ilana responds by waving to fellow partiers as if she knows them. She then tells Abbi that “in da clurb, we are all fam”—though Abbi isn’t exactly sure what this means. 

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Sound off

@martiddy12 I love this sound 😂😂😂#xyzbca #fyp #blacktiktok #foryoupage #viral #friends ♬ original sound – Maggie Winters

While Broad City finished airing 5 years ago, TikTok users are delighted at the show making a comeback in this way. “I miss Broad City more than anything,” one commenter wrote. “Broad City will never get old,” a second remarked. 

While a third added: “I love seeing Broad City on my FYP.” And given that this sound has been used 8,836 times, we should prepare to see a lot more of it.

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