Grab It! is the debut album by the American hip hop duo L'Trimm, released in 1988.[4][5] It was originally released by Time-X Records before being licensed to Atlantic Records.[2]

Grab It!
Studio album by
Released1988
GenreHip hop
LabelTime-X Records/Atlantic Records
ProducerLarry Davis
L'Trimm chronology
Grab It!
(1988)
Drop That Bottom
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

The album peaked at No. 132 on the Billboard 200.[6] "Cars with the Boom" (also known as "Cars That Go Boom") peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100.[7] Grab It! sold almost a million copies, reaching certified Gold by the RIAA.[5]

Production edit

The album was produced by Larry Davis, for Paul Klein's Hot Productions.[8][9] The tracks were constructed around synthesizers and 808 drums, per the Miami bass sound.[8]

"Grab It" was written as a cheeky answer record to Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It".[10][8]

Critical reception edit

The Los Angeles Times wrote of "Cars With The Boom": "One of the dumber rap songs to come down the pike lately, this ode to noise pollution is also the most irresistible."[11] The Morning Call listed the album among the ten worst of 1988, writing that the duo "may single-handedly erase all the musical respect more serious rappers have earned."[12]

AllMusic called the album "silly, goofy, escapist fun," writing that the "very pop-minded, club-oriented songs are infectious and entertaining despite the group's obvious limitations."[1] Praising "Cars With The Boom", Miami New Times wrote that "the fact stands, there's something almost benign and cute about this affair ... [L'Trimm's] delivery, and it's all based on their delivery, is fun and childish."[9] The Rolling Stone Album Guide thought that "the giggly good nature of the duo's delivery keeps these raps from sounding like mere sexploitation."[3] Writing of "Cars With The Boom"'s 2020 reemergence via TikTok, The Washington Post declared that "the song stands out in the landscape of hip-hop for being so unapologetically light."[13] Calling L'Trimm "the female equivalent of the mighty Tone Loc," the Chicago Sun-Times also chose "Cars With The Boom" as the duo's "finest" song.[10]

Track listing edit

No.TitleLength
1."Grab It"4:38
2."Better Yet L'Trimm"4:30
3."We Can Rock the Beat"3:26
4."Sexy"4:37
5."Cuttie Pie"4:18
6."He's a Mutt"4:02
7."Don't Come to My House"4:25
8."Cars with the Boom"3:53

Personnel edit

  • Lady Tigra - vocals
  • Bunny D - vocals

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Grab It! - L'Trimm | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 359.
  3. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 438.
  4. ^ "L'Trimm | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  5. ^ a b Nunes, Joseph C. (22 Oct 1989). "THE NEWEST SOUND IN TOWN IS LOUD, FAST MIAMI BASS". Sun Sentinel. p. 1F.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955-1992. Record Research. p. 436.
  7. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  8. ^ a b c Hope, Clover (2021). The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop. Abrams Image. pp. 75–76.
  9. ^ a b Folgar, Abel (May 5, 2010). "Blast From the Past: L'Trimm - Grab It!". Miami New Times.
  10. ^ a b DeRogatis, Jim (February 14, 1999). "She's gotta have it - The success of Lauryn Hill rests on those hot women of rap who came before". Chicago Sun-Times. Showcase. p. 1.
  11. ^ Willman, Chris (18 Dec 1988). "Sam Kinison Reaches for a New Low". Los Angeles Times. p. 104.
  12. ^ Righi, Len (30 Dec 1988). "RECORDS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT A LOOK BACK AT 1988". The Morning Call. p. D1.
  13. ^ "'Cars That Go Boom' has made a comeback, thanks to TikTok. The '80s duo L'Trimm says it's 'surreal.'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2021.