"Cars with the Boom" (also titled "Cars That Go Boom") is a song by American hip hop duo L'Trimm and the third single from their debut studio album Grab It! (1988). It is their most successful song.

"Cars with the Boom"
Single by L'Trimm
from the album Grab It!
B-side"Don't Come to My House"
Released1988
GenreMiami bass
Length3:54
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • E. Cager
  • J. Stone
  • L. Julian
  • P. Klein
  • R. DeRougemont
Producer(s)David Stone Klein
L'Trimm singles chronology
"Cutie Pie"
(1988)
"Cars with the Boom"
(1988)
"Drop That Bottom"
(1989)
Music video
"Cars with the Boom" on YouTube

Composition

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"Cars with the Boom" is a Miami bass song that finds L'Trimm rapping about their love for men who have cars with subwoofers.[1][2][3]

Critical reception

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Chris Willman of Los Angeles Times described "Cars with the Boom" to be "One of the dumber rap songs to come down the pike lately, this ode to noise pollution is also the most irresistible."[4] The Chicago Sun-Times regarded it as the duo's "finest" song.[5] Abel Folgar of Miami New Times praised the song, writing 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."[6] Travis M. Andrews of The Washington Post declared that "the song stands out in the landscape of hip-hop for being so unapologetically light."[1]

"Cars with the Boom" was ranked number 95 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop" in 2008[7] and number 100 on Rolling Stone's "Top 100 Hip Hop Songs of All Time" in 2017.[8] It also placed at number 10 in Complex's "The 50 Best Miami Rap Songs" in 2011[2] and included in the Miami New Times list "10 Greatest Miami Bass Songs of All Time" in 2024.[3]

Other versions

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American rapper Brianna Perry released a remake of "Cars That Go Boom", simply titled as "Cars".[9]

TikTok virality

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The song renewed popularity in mid-2020 due to widespread use in dancing and lip-syncing trends on the video-sharing app TikTok.[1][10]

Charts

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Chart (1988) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 54
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] 39

References

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  1. ^ a b c 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.'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b Serwer, Jesse (December 16, 2011). "The 50 Best Miami Rap Songs". Complex. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b Tracy, Liz (March 20, 2024). "10 Greatest Miami Bass Songs of All Time". Miami New Times. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  4. ^ Willman, Chris (18 Dec 1988). "Sam Kinison Reaches for a New Low". Los Angeles Times. p. 104.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Folgar, Abel (May 5, 2010). "Blast From the Past: L'Trimm - Grab It!". Miami New Times.
  7. ^ "VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs". Stereogum. 2008-09-29. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  8. ^ "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  9. ^ "Brianna Perry Remakes L'Trimm's '80s hit "Cars That Go Boom"". The Source. June 13, 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  10. ^ Millman, Ethan (November 6, 2020). "The Biggest Old Music Hits Resurfaced by TikTok". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of November 12, 1988". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  12. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of November 5, 1988". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2024.