L'Trimm
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L'Trimm | |
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| Origin | Miami, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, rap, Miami bass |
| Years active | 1985–1991 |
| Labels | Hot Productions Atlantic Records, Time-X Records |
| Members | Bunny D The Lady Tigra |
L'Trimm was a Miami bass hip-hop duo composed of Bunny D and Lady Tigra. Originally from Coconut Grove, Florida (origin neighborhood of the City of Miami), they recorded three albums for Atlantic Records: Grab It! in 1988 (which is certified Gold by the RIAA), Drop That Bottom in 1989 (which led The Source to name the group Hip-Hop Goddesses of the Month),[1] and Groovy in 1991.
Group history
[edit]The group took its new name from a then-popular designer brand of blue jeans (Trim) and added the L' prefix to give it a French feel. The song "Grab It!" became a local hit and was followed by an album of the same name.[2] Shortly after, "Cars with the Boom", an ode to subwoofers, reached No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100,[3] and a national tour followed. Atlantic Records picked up the group's first album, and signed a deal to distribute L'Trimm's second album, Drop That Bottom, which included a remix of "Grab It!" The album was only a minor success. Interest in "Cars With The Boom" was later renewed in mid-2020 due to the influence of TikTok.[4]
L'Trimm became dissatisfied with the direction their music was taking, once co-writers were put in charge of producing their third album Groovy. At the same time, Miami indie labels began to speculate that the Miami bass sound would never break through to mainstream national audiences. As Hot Productions began to look for new creative inspiration, the group hired representation in the form of managers and lawyers. A stalemate was reached and the group abandoned the sessions of its third album, Groovy. With plenty of vocal outtakes left in the studio from previous sessions, Hot Productions continued creating the album without the artists' input. The resulting album had more of a house and new jack swing sound, which sold poorly, failed to find the new market for which it was aiming, and was poorly received by critics.[2] Unwilling to compromise their creative input, unable to score another hit with the label's new sound, and with its youthful pop-rap style waning in popularity, L'Trimm disbanded.
Life after L'Trimm
[edit]Bunny D became a nurse working in the fields of geriatrics, labor and delivery, and special needs children and adults. She has four children and was married to La Kidd[5] from Philadelphia's Tuff Crew, whom she met while touring together, which released the 1989 hit "My Parta Town." Bunny is also writing a series of children's books and is designing a clothing line.
After a few years of hosting events in Miami's burgeoning music, arts, fashion, and club scenes in South Beach, Lady Tigra moved back to New York City, where she managed nightclubs. In 2008, she moved to Los Angeles and released her first solo project, Please Mr. Boombox[6] (which featured a guest track by MC Lyte), to great critical review, and leading to popular site at the time, MySpace, putting the first track on their sign-in page as video of the month. Tigra wrote and performed the jingle on the Pinkberry website and appeared on the Nickelodeon children's show Yo Gabba Gabba,[7] where she performed Debbie Deb's "When I Hear Music." In 2010, she collaborated with writer/director J.B. Ghuhman Jr. and music producer Yeti Beats on the soundtrack of the award-winning movie Spork, which incorporated many references to 1990s pop-culture.
In 2016, Lady Tigra appeared in the American documentary film 808.[8]
In 2018 Tigra appeared in the first episode of the second season of the Peabody Award-winning Netflix docuseries "Hip-Hop Evolution, The Southern Way." Alongside acts such as Uncle Luke, Disco Rick, Trick Daddy, Brother Marquis, Mr. Mixx, The Geto Boys, and UGK.
In 2019 Lady Tigra began a collaboration with Spencer Nezey (Her Majesty and the Wolves, Jupiter Rising) called Tigra & Spencer, releasing their first single "Can't Walk Away" in December of the same year.
Lady Tigra remains active in New York, Miami, and LA's underground music, fashion, DJ, art and club scenes.
L'Trimm has not released further material. Although the duo disbanded, they remain close friends, with Lady Tigra often referencing her days in L'Trimm with Bunny D. as one of her influences.
In 2019, L'Trimm appeared in the Boogaloo Shrimp documentary, a film about Michael Chambers, the American dancer and actor known as "Boogaloo Shrimp." Michael is most renowned for his role as "Turbo" in the 1984 cult movie Breakin’ and its sequel Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.
In 2020, L'Trimm's song "Cars with the Boom" went viral on the social media app TikTok. On June 3, the compilation album Cars That Go Boom was released.[9]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- 1988: Grab It! (Time-X/Hot Productions HTLP-3307/Atlantic 81925) (Gold)
- 1989: Drop That Bottom (Atlantic 82026)
- 1991: Groovy (Atlantic 82300)
- 2020: Cars That Go Boom (Warner Music group - X5 Music Group)
The Lady Tigra
- 2008: "Please Mr. BoomBox" (High Score Productions)
Singles
[edit]L'Trimm:
- 1987: "Grab It"
- 1988: "Cutie Pie"
- 1988: "Cars with the Boom"
- 1989: "Drop That Bottom"
- 1991: "Get Loose"
- 1991: "Low Rider"
The Lady Tigra Singles:
- 2008: “Bass on the Bottom” (remixed by Mr. Hahn of Linkin Park)
- 2009: “Stole My Radio” (featuring Mc Lyte)
- 2010: “Santa Baby” (by Yeti Beats featuring DJ IQ Luna of The Handroids)
- 2011: “Summertime” (featuring Fatlip from The Pharcyde)
- 2012: “Thing-a-Ling” (Spork Movie Soundtrack)
Guest Appearances by The Lady Tigra:
- 2001: Larry Tee - “Supasize”
- 2004: Avenue D + Phiiliip - “Pants Down”
- 2006: The Phenomenal Handclap Band - "15 to 20" ft. The Lady Tigra
- 2009: Jupiter Rising - “When the Bass Drops”
- 2012: Staygold - “Backseat” (featuring Spank Rock, Damian Adore and Lady Tigra)
- 2015: Ruckus Robiticus - “Come Alive”
- 2017: Oliver - “Heart Attack” (featuring De La Soul)
The Lady Tigra Prime Time TV:
- 2008: Dirty Sexy Money featuring Alicia Keys: Switchblade Kitty
- 2009: The World According to Paris: Switchblade Kitty
- 2009: The Real World: Bass on the Bottom
- 2012: Misfits: 15 to 20
- 2016: Devious Maids: Player of Love
References
[edit]- ^ "The Source |Brianna Perry Remakes L'Trimm's '80s hit "Cars That Go Boom"". The Source. 2013-06-14. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
- ^ a b Shapiro, Peter (2005) "L'Trimm", in The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop, Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-263-8
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.com.
- ^ Andrews, Travis M. (18 June 2020). "'Cars With The Boom' has made a comeback, thanks to TikTok. The '80s duo L'Trimm says it's 'surreal.'". Washington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ Ettelson, Robbie (2016-04-11). "Part Time Rap Star, Full Time Drug Dealer". Medium.com. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
LA Kid got married recently to Bunny from L'Trimm
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: THE LADY TIGRA". Jestherent.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
- ^ "LA CANVAS ISSUE 01". Issuu.com. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
- ^ "Lady Tigra". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
- ^ "Cars That Go Boom by L'Trimm". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
External links
[edit]- Chart history (limited info; requires subscription) at Billboard
- L'Trimm Interview 1990 Slammin' Rap Video Magazine
- Music video for "Cars That Go Boom" by L'Trimm
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- African-American musical duos
- American hip hop duos
- Women hip hop groups
- American girl groups
- Atlantic Records artists
- Miami bass groups
- Musical duos from Florida
- Southern hip hop groups
- Musical groups established in 1987
- Musical groups disestablished in 1991
- People from Kendall, Florida
- American women rappers
- African-American women rappers