Before there was Trina and the City Girls, Miami was home to the fierce twosome, L’Trimm. Made up of Elena Cager, also known as Bunny D, and Rachel de Rougemont better known as Lady Tigra, the best friends put bass-heavy hip-hop on the map and started a trend. Best known for their 1988 single, “Cars With the Boom,” the teenagers gained notoriety and released three albums in quick succession. However, their time in the limelight was very brief.
Here’s what happened to L’Trimm.
How they met
According to L’Union Suite, Lady Tigra and Bunny D became friends in high school and bonded over their love of hip-hop. During a chat with Slammin’ Video Magazine, Lady Tigra recalled how they clicked instantly.
The girls stayed active on the local scene and appeared as dancers on the TV show, Miami Teen Express. There, they caught the attention of Paul Klein from Hot Productions. He helped them put together some upbeat, danceable singles to get the word out about their unique delivery and style.
Lady Tigra told Legendary Talks that a local rapper would give her and Bunny D rides home from school, and he stopped by the studio one night. They went inside the booth and started rapping and were asked if they could write a song. The girls said they could and performed their choreography as well. Lady D said, “We stumbled into the booth, stumbled on the mic. Things back then happened organically.”
After some guys they were hanging out with saw a girl and said, “Trim, looking good,” Bunny D and La Tigra decided to use that as their group name, but they added an L to give it a French twist.
From that day forward, they were known as L’Trimm.
Releasing ‘Cars with the Boom’
“Cars With the Boom” was their second single and it became a surprise hit due to its booming bass and fun, catchy lyrics. It gained national attention and allowed the girls to tour to get their names out.
Due to the song’s popularity, they were named The Source Magazine’s Hip-Hop Goddesses of the Month in 1989. Atlantic Records also decided to distribute their album and put a deal in place to release their second album They were also named The Source Magazine’s Hip-Hop Goddesses of the Month in 1989.
Their next albums flopped
Riding on their success, L’Trimm dropped their second album, Drop that Bottom, in 1989. However, the lead single by the same name didn’t meet expectations and failed to chart.
L’Trimm had to deal with their share of haters who mocked their style and said they were too “soft.” La Tigra told Slammin’ Video Magazine “We want to be soft because we want to be feminine.” She also added that they were all about good vibes and having fun.
By 1990, things weren’t looking too promising for L’Trimm. Lady T told Legendary Talks that “people wanted to mess with the formula” and said they wanted “to take credit for what was already successful.” She said the powers that be would come in and crumple up a song she was working on and throw it in the trash because they said, “Black people don’t talk like that.” Lady T said that it crushed their spirit because it was something they were doing that was supposed to be fun.
Going their separate ways
After Groovy flopped, L’Trimm disbanded but they remained friends. Lady Tigra told Jesther Entertainment that it was difficult being young girls in the Miami bass scene, gaining acceptance, and trying to spread the sound across the country. She said, “There weren’t that many women in hip-hop to begin with and there certainly weren’t that many in bass.”
Once they broke up, Bunny D and Lady Tigra went different routes. According to Rare and Obscure Music, Bunny D became a nurse and married rapper L.A. Kidd from Tuff Crew. They went on to have four kids together.
According to Jesther Entertainment, Lady Tigra continued to pursue music and moved back to New York where she managed nightclubs. Eventually, she was connected with singer-songwriter and producer Berko and they worked on transforming her into a solo artist. She released her debut solo album, Please Mr. Boombox, in 2008.
Back in the limelight thanks to TikTok
In May 2020, social media users made “Cars With the Boom” go viral on TikTok. The audio racked up millions of videos, including from top creators.
Bunny D got a call from one of her nieces to tell her the news. She told the Washington Post “I have 29 nieces and nephews, so I was getting a couple of calls or texts a day. It’s just the cutest thing.”
With the newfound attention and to capitalize on the TikTok tren, the compilation album, Cars that Go Boom, was released in 2020.
Did a Real Housewife jack their sound?
In August 2021, L’Trimm accused The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Erika Jayne of ripping off “Cars With the Boom” with her song, entitled “Cars.” Lady Tigra told The Sun, “It’s the exact same hook! And Erika never reached out to either of us, and we haven’t seen a penny for it, of course.”
They said they didn’t even get as much as a shoutout or a tag. She also said, “But to add insult to injury you jack it and pretend that you made it up, like we never existed.”
Lady Tigra didn’t think they could pursue legal action since they were only 15 and 16 when they wrote the song and no longer owned the masters. She added, “I have reached out to see if anyone would want to pick it up pro bono, but so far we’ve been told since we don’t have the original contracts, it’s basically he says/she says.”
These days, Lady Tigra continues to make solo music and released the dance song “Firebender” in May 2022. L’Trimm may not be making music together, but the group is still considered legendary. In February 2022, the group was named the #21 best hip-hop duos of all time by Complex.
Let us know your thoughts on what happened to L’Trimm.