L'Trimm
Encyclopedia
L'Trimm was a Miami Bass
hip-hop
duo composed of Lady Tigra and Bunny D, two women from Kendall, Florida
(an area of Dade County
, slightly south-west of Miami). They recorded three albums for Hot Productions: Grab It! in 1988 (before they were eighteen), Drop That Bottom in 1989 (which led to The Source
naming them "Hip-Hop Goddesses of the Month"), and Groovy in 1991.
of Hot Productions caught the girls, and employed Larry Davis
to construct some hook
-oriented tracks for the group, around the girls' pre-written raps. Tigra was 16 years old and Bunny was 17 years old when the girls signed to Hot Productions.
s, became a top 40 hit and a national tour followed. Atlantic Records
signed a deal to distribute L'Trimm's second album, Drop That Bottom, which included a remix of "Grab It". The album was a minor success.
L'Trimm became dissatisfied with their contract and the direction their music was taking, at the same time as 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 band hired representation in the form of managers and lawyers. A stalemate was reached, and the band abandoned the sessions for their third album, Groovy. With plenty of vocal outtake
s left in the studio from previous sessions, Hot Productions continued creating the album without the artists' input. The resulting album, which had more of a house music
sound, sold poorly, failing to find the new market it was aiming for, and was poorly received by critics. Unable to score another hit and with their youthful pop-rap style waning in popularity, L'Trimm disbanded.
website was also done by Tigra and she has appeared on Nickelodeon's award-winning children's show "Yo Gabba Gabba".
rapper Proof
of D12
in his song "Gurls wit da Boom" and the Spanish-language duo Prima J
in their song "Boom".
In 2005, Jay-R
released "My Other Car Is a Beatle", a mash-up
of L'Trimm's "Cars with the Boom", Gary Numan
's "Cars
", and the Beatles' "Drive My Car
".http://www.soop.ca/bootie/bestofbootie2005/18-Jay-R_MyOtherCarBeatle.mp3
In 2008, "Cars with the Boom" was ranked number 95 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Miami bass
Miami bass , is a type of hip hop music, that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. Its roots are directly linked to the Electro-funk sound of the early 1980s, pioneered by Afrika Bambataa & The Soulsonic Force and later on by UK-based musician Paul Hardcastle...
hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo composed of Lady Tigra and Bunny D, two women from Kendall, Florida
Kendall, Florida
Kendall is a suburban neighborhood of metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the area had a total population of 75,226....
(an area of Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
, slightly south-west of Miami). They recorded three albums for Hot Productions: Grab It! in 1988 (before they were eighteen), Drop That Bottom in 1989 (which led to The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
naming them "Hip-Hop Goddesses of the Month"), and Groovy in 1991.
Early years
The Lady Tigra (Rachel de Rougemont) and Bunny D. (Elana Cager) met in high school, and regularly attended Skylight Express, a teen dance night club in Kendall that featured hip-hop and Miami Bass music and artists. They were featured dancers on the local TV show "Miami Teen Express" that was taped and aired every week and was produced by local Miami Bass artists "The Gucci Crew". The girls quickly struck up a friendship when they discovered their shared love of all things hip-hop. Tigra was an amateur graffiti artist and break-dancer who wrote rhymes. Bunny D. was a classically trained dancer and performer who also wrote rap lyrics. They formed a group called XTC and would battle boys during their lunch period. Female rappers were a rarity at the time and the girls soon gained the attention of local rapper Mighty Rock, of the group Double Duce, who used to drive them home from school. One afternoon, Mighty Rock needed to stop by the Hot Productions studios. During the meeting, Tigra and Bunny went into a recording booth and began rapping for fun. Paul KleinPaul Klein
Paul Klein is the name of:*Paul Klein , German–Ecuadorian chess player*Paul Klein , American art activist from Chicago*Paul Klein , business advisor...
of Hot Productions caught the girls, and employed Larry Davis
Larry Davis
Rev. Larry Davis is a Baptist minister who pled guilty to charges stemming from misappropriation of church funds.- Before entering the ministry:...
to construct some hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
-oriented tracks for the group, around the girls' pre-written raps. Tigra was 16 years old and Bunny was 17 years old when the girls signed to Hot Productions.
Group history
The group took their 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. Later there was some controversy when JJ Fad released their hit "Supersonic" because some said it mirrored the cadence of "Grab It!" too closely. Shortly after, "Cars With The Boom", an ode to subwooferSubwoofer
A subwoofer is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker, which is dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies known as the "bass". The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is about 20–200 Hz for consumer products, below 100 Hz for professional live sound, and below...
s, became a top 40 hit and a national tour followed. Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
signed a deal to distribute L'Trimm's second album, Drop That Bottom, which included a remix of "Grab It". The album was a minor success.
L'Trimm became dissatisfied with their contract and the direction their music was taking, at the same time as Miami indie labels
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
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 band hired representation in the form of managers and lawyers. A stalemate was reached, and the band abandoned the sessions for their third album, Groovy. With plenty of vocal outtake
Outtake
An outtake is a portion of a work that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DVD reissues of many albums and films as bonus tracks or features, in film often, but not...
s left in the studio from previous sessions, Hot Productions continued creating the album without the artists' input. The resulting album, which had more of a house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
sound, sold poorly, failing to find the new market it was aiming for, and was poorly received by critics. Unable to score another hit and with their youthful pop-rap style waning in popularity, L'Trimm disbanded.
Life after L'Trimm
Bunny D. is married to Tuff Crew's LA Kid and has four children. She has published a series of children books and is working on a clothing line design {cn}. Lady Tigra moved back to New York City where she managed nightclubs and has recorded an album in Los Angeles released in 2008, "Please Mr. Boombox." The jingle on the PinkberryPinkberry
Pinkberry is a franchise of upscale frozen dessert restaurants headquartered in Los Angeles, California. There are currently over 100 stores, mostly located in Southern California, 14 in New York City, New York, two in New Orleans, Louisiana, two in Denver, Colorado, one in Colorado Springs,...
website was also done by Tigra and she has appeared on Nickelodeon's award-winning children's show "Yo Gabba Gabba".
Legacy
L'Trimm was one of hip-hop's earliest, sassiest, and most influential female duos. Many world renowned artists have accredited Tigra and Bunny for having influenced their sound including Gwen Stefani, MIA, Peaches and Fanny Pack. Most recently, the LA Times and Yahoo! Music have compared Kesha's vocal stylings to that of L'Trimm's and Dev's "Bass Down Low" to Lady Tigra's "Bass on the Bottom". Their Top 40 hit single, "Cars with the Boom", has been referenced by hip-hop and pop artists alike, including the late DetroitDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
rapper Proof
Proof (rapper)
DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
of D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
in his song "Gurls wit da Boom" and the Spanish-language duo Prima J
Prima J
Prima J is an American musical group, composed of cousins Jessica and Janelle Martinez. Jessica, born on May 25, 1988, and Janelle, born on August 26, 1988, came up with the stagename "Prima J" by taking the letter "J" out of their first names, and the spanish word "prima" , and put it...
in their song "Boom".
In 2005, Jay-R
Jay-R
Gaudencio Sillona III , who performs under the mononym Jay R, is a Filipino singer-songwriter, actor, record producer and model. In 2003, he released his debut album, Gameface, under Universal Records...
released "My Other Car Is a Beatle", a mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of L'Trimm's "Cars with the Boom", Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
's "Cars
Cars (song)
Fear Factory, an American industrial metal band, recorded a version of "Cars" and released it as the second single from their third studio album, Obsolete. The song was only included as a bonus track on the limited edition digipak re-release of Obsolete and would be instrumental in breaking Fear...
", and the Beatles' "Drive My Car
Drive My Car
"Drive My Car" is a song primarily written by Paul McCartney, with lyrical contributions from John Lennon, and first released by The Beatles on the British version of the 1965 album Rubber Soul; it also appeared in North America on the Yesterday and Today collection...
".http://www.soop.ca/bootie/bestofbootie2005/18-Jay-R_MyOtherCarBeatle.mp3
In 2008, "Cars with the Boom" was ranked number 95 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.