Pioneer rapper Gangsta Boo (born Lola Mitchell) died at 43 on Sunday from a possible drug overdose.
Fox 13 reported that the known sole female member of the Memphis-raised rap group Three 6 Mafia was found dead on New Year’s Day around 4 p.m.
According to TMZ, sources close to the rapper told them that Gangsta Boo and her brother were together the night before at a local concert in Memphis. Her brother had overdosed that night, which led him to be hospitalized. Sources also said that narcotics were found on her the day she died.
While police are still investigating her death and an autopsy needs to be performed, sources claimed that fentanyl-laced drugs may have contributed to Gangsta Boo’s death.
Rapper and founder of Three 6 Mafia DJ Paul posted a photo of Gangsta Boo on his Instagram and Twitter.
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— DJ PAUL THREE6MAFIA (@DJPAULKOM) January 1, 2023
The 43-year-old began rapping at 14 and broke into the rap scene when she became a prominent member of the Three 6 Mafia group, comprising DJ Paul, Juicy J, Koopsta Knicca, Crunchy Black and Lord Infamous—he died in 2013.
Along with the six albums she released with the group, she also released three solo albums. Her debut solo album was “Enquiring Minds,” which included her hit single, “Where Dem Dollas At!?,” taking the 15th spot on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. She reached number eight on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart with her second album (2001), “Both Worlds *69.”
She left Three 6 Mafia in the early 2000s and continued her solo career, working with artists like Lil Jon, Gucci Mane, E-40, The Game, T.I., Latto and GloRilla.
Gangsta Boo was an influential artist who made way for many female rappers people see today. On Dec. 8, Gangsta Boo discussed with Billboard her impact as a female rapper and her collaboration with Latto and GloRilla in “FTCU.”
She said she was always told, “Gangsta Boo walked so a lot of people could run…it just feels great to stand in yourself and look in the mirror and be like, ‘Wow, you did that.’ And not sell your soul and go to bed at night with a smile on your face.”
