Gangsta Boo, the pioneering Memphis rapper and former member of Three 6 Mafia, has died at the age of 43, HipHopDX has confirmed.
According to Fox 13 Memphis, the rapper (real name Lola Mitchell) was found dead around 4:00 p.m. local time on Sunday afternoon (January 1) in her hometown of Memphis. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
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As news of the Queen of Memphis’ death began spreading via social media, DJ Paul posted a photo of his former Three 6 Mafia group mate on social media, which many took as confirmation of her death.
HipHopDX has been told that a statement from Gangsta Boo’s family is on the way.
Gangsta Boo joined Three 6 Mafia in 1994 at the tender age of 15 and features on the legendary Memphis group’s first five albums: Mystic Stylez (1995), Chapter. 1: The End (1996), Chapter 2: World Domination (1997), When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1 (2000), and Choices: The Album (2001).
Following the release of her debut solo album Enquiring Minds in 1998 via Hypnotize Minds/Relativity Records, she became a household name across the South and beyond, thanks to her hit single “Where Dem Dollas At!?” She released her second album, Both Worlds *69, in 2001.
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Boo also appeared on a series of other Three 6 Mafia-related projects, such as Tear Da Club Up Thugs’ 1999 album CrazyNDaLazDayz, Prophet Posse’s debut 1998 album Body Parts, Hypnotize Camp Posse’s 2000 album Three 6 Mafia Presents: Hypnotize Camp Posse, and Da Mafia 6ix’s 2013 mixtape 6ix Commandments. She also features on the Triple Six Mafia compilation albums Underground Vol.2: Club Memphis and Underground Vol.3: Kings of Memphis.
After leaving Three 6 Mafia over alleged financial disputes in 2002, Gangsta Boo dropped her third and final solo studio album, Enquiring Minds II: The Soap Opera, in 2004 via Yorktown Records. It features production from Drumma Boy, who at the time was a young and hungry up and coming producer looking to make a name for himself.
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From there, she put out a string of mixtapes including 2006’s Still Gangsta with DJ Smallz, 2009’s The Rumors with DJ Drama, and 2015’s Candy, Diamonds & Pills. She also teamed up with friend and fellow Three 6 Mafia affiliate La Chat in 2104 to drop their joint album Witch.
Her recent output saw the “Yeah Hoe” rapper feature on a number of high-profile collaborations, including Run The Jewels tracks “Love Again (Akinyele Back)” and “Walking in the Snow,” and Latto‘s “F.T.C.U.” alongside Memphis newcomer GloRilla.
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In addition to DJ Paul, other tributes from Three 6 Mafia members included co-founder Juicy J who posted a photo of himself alongside Gangsta Boo with a lone broken heart emoji in the caption.
Juicy’s older brother and Triple Six affiliate Project Pat posted the cover for Boo’s second album Both Worlds *69, writing: “The Hardest to ever do it R. I. P. @missyeahoe will be missed.”
Crunchy Black shared a clip of a studio session with Boo, writing: “Gangster BOO WE LOVE YOU #BIG MEMPHIS.”
La Chat posted a photograph of her hugging Boo onstage with a caption full of crying and throwing up emojis.
Former Hypnotize Minds artist Lil Wyte said he had “no words” and explained that he and Boo were just “together 2 weeks ago,” while Frayser Boy simply tweeted “Forever Gangsta [fingers crossed emoji].”
M.C. Mack of The Kaze shared a carousel of pics of him and Gangsta Boo, with the caption: “M TOWN LEGENDS STAND UP. CANT BELIEVE U GONE. YOU WILL BE MISSED AND KNOW THAT YOU WAS LOVED #RIP @missyeahoe [three praying hand emojis and one crying emoji] #QOM.”
Several other members of the Hip Hop community have taken to social media to react to the news and pay tribute to Gangsta Boo.
Memphis rapper Duke Deuce, who is never quiet about the huge impact Three 6 Mafia have had on his career, wrote on Twitter: “Long Live The Queen,” sharing a clip of Boo joining him on stage to perform his hit single “Crunk Ain’t Dead.”
Missy Elliott, who Gangsta Boo recently told Billboard was on her list of dream collaborators, shared a photo of the Memphis legend with the caption, “Rest Peacefully @GangstaBooQOM.”
Latto shared a pair of tweets as soon as the news broke about her collaborator’s death. “Nah this not true man,” she wrote, before adding in a second tweet: “NOOOOO,” followed by seven broken heart emojis.
El-P of Run The Jewels shared a message for Boo on Twitter. “Love you Lola thank you for your friendship,” he wrote on Twitter.
The rapper/producer later shared a series of photos with Boo on Instagram, writing: “I don’t have the words yet. I just know we lost a part of our family today. We love you, Lola. Thank you my friend. Our sister forever.”
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Drumma Boy also took to Twitter to pay tribute to his “sister” Gangsta Boo, who was a constant in Boo’s life. “This shyt don’t feel real mane life will never be the same without u @missyeahoe,” he wrote alongside a screenshot of an Instagram comment Boo had left him the day before, looking ahead to 2023.
He concluded his post with: “I swear we had the same dad or summn forever my sister.”
HipHopDX extends its condolences to the friends and family of Gangsta Boo. See more tributes from the likes of Jermaine Dupri, Freddie Gibbs, Young Buck, Russ and many others below.
