R.I.P.: Southern Rap Icon Gangsta Boo Found Dead On New Year’s Day, Possible Overdose

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Gangsta Boo, former Three 6 Mafia member and Southern rap icon, has died at age 43. Her cause of death has not been confirmed, but it’s being reported that her death was drug-related. Details inside…

The Hip Hop community has been rocked by another unexpected death.

Gangsta Boo, a pioneering Memphis rapper and the second female member of Three 6 Mafia, died on Sunday at the age of 43, according to several reports.

Gangsta Boo (real name Lola Mitchell) was reportedly found dead on the porch of a Whitehaven home in Memphis on Sunday, January 1st, around 4pm local time. At this time, her cause of death is unclear. However, there are reports that suggest her death was drug-related. Sources told TMZ, Gangsta Boo’s brother overdosed during the night and needed medical attention. He ended up being OK, but later, Gangsta Boo needed medical attention.

TMZ reports:

Sources connected to Gangsta Boo tell TMZ … the rapper’s death appears to be drug-related. We’re told Gangsta was with her brother last night at a local concert in Memphis, and that her sibling started to overdose sometime in the night … requiring hospitalization.

While he ended up being okay, our sources tell us that people familiar with Gangsta Boo’s death scene insist narcotics were found on her person and that a fentanyl-laced substance is believed to be at play. We’re told the police are launching an official investigation.

An autopsy obviously needs to be done as well to see what the cause of death is.

Tragic.

A day before her death, Gangsta Boo took to Instagram to share clips of what she accomplished in 2022:

“Some of the things that I did in 2022!,” she captioned the compilation of videos. So fun and productive, climbed out my shell alot!! 2023 go be 23’n! #JORDAN #BOOPRINT #recap Happy New 2023 everyone!”

In September, she sat down with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN for an episode of “Drink Champs” where she talked about coming up in the rap game as a female rapper, the altercation between her and Bizzy Bone during the Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs VERZUZ Battle, and more. Peep her interview below:

Gangsta Boo began rapping at the age of 14, turning her poems into rap lyrics.

”I started writing poems to my dad and one poem lead into another poem, which lead to another,” she said during a 2012 interview. “He started finding me keyboards and karaoke machines and stuff like that. I honestly don’t know where it came from. My mother used to sing and my dad used to be in a group, but I believe it is just in my genes. I could not tell you the day I started rapping, but I do know my motivation was 8Ball and MJG and a lot of Memphis legends like Skinny Pimp.”

At the tender age of 15, she joined the pioneering Hip Hop group Three 6 Mafia after catching the attention of DJ Paul during a school talent show. Gangster Boo’s first solo album, Enquiring Minds, was released in 1998 and reached number fifteen on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 46 on the Billboard 200. The album featured her classic hood hit, “Where Dem Dollas At!?”

She left Three 6 Mafia in 2001 to pursue a solo career, releasing two more albums, Both Worlds *69 (2001) and Enquiring Minds II: The Soap Opera (2002).

When asked if she feels like she empowers women, she said:

”Yes, most definitely. I encourage women to be strong. If you’re going to be hanging around these men get something from it. Keep your legs closed. Don’t be sleeping with all these rappers if you’re trying to make something of yourself. There’s just so much stuff that women should not do especially black women. I see so many black women degrading themselves just to be a part of this so called “entertainment business” and everything glitters is not gold. That’s a real problem that I see a lot of young women having. Once the light and the cameras are off, then what?”

Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul seemingly confirmed Gangsta Boo’s passing, sharing a photo of her on his Instagram with a dove emoji and a praying hands emoji:

Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J also shared a photo of himself with Gangsta Boo with the broken heart emoji in the caption:

 

 

Hip Hop heads and fellow artists have been posting up tributes for Gangsta Boo after learning of her passing:

 

 

As for new music, she hopped on Hannah Monds‘ track, “Big Momma,” and released a video in October 2022. Check it out below:

Memphis has been hit hard with unexpected deaths as rapper Young Dolph was gunned down in Memphis in November 2021. Gangsta Boo got emotional talking about his murder during an interview with VLAD:

The Memphis Police Department is expected to release more information about Gangsta Boo’s passing at a later time. 

As for how she wants to be remembered:

”I just want people to know that I’m a really hard worker,” she explained in the 2012 interview. “I’m human just like everybody else. I write all my own music. I’ve helped other people come up with concepts. I’ve helped put a lot of people on. I just want to be respected. When it’s all said and done, I want to be remembered as Gangsta Boo from 3-6 Mafia. The first lady of 3-6 Mafia. The first lady of crunk music. The first lady who brought a platinum plaque back to Memphis. The first lady who brought a gold plaque back to Memphis. I’m the only female rapper in Tennessee that has ever did that and probably I will be the only one that ever will. I just want to be known as someone that put her heart into her music and who really really appreciated her fans. Because if it wasn’t for my fans, like I said, I definitely would not still be doing this. My fans are my motivation. I love my fans.”

Rest In Peace Gangsta Boo.

Photo: Instagram

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