Memphis legend Gangsta Boo tragically died on Sunday (Jan 1) just after celebrating New Years’ Eve in her hometown.
A Stunning Update
Gangsta Boo, real name Lola Mitchell, was a standout member of Three 6 Mafia and a pioneer in female rap. The 43-year-old was found dead on her front porch around 4 pm, Jan 1. Sources close to Gangsta Boo personally are now claiming the cause of death to be drug-related.
An update from TMZ yesterday is only adding to the talk of an overdose. According to their report, Mitchell was attending a NYE concert with her brother the previous night. At some point, the man overdosed and was rushed to the hospital. Luckily her sibling recovered, but the same can’t be said for Gangsta Boo. It appears the New Years’ celebration continued at Boo’s home, where she eventually suffered from some kind of medical emergency.
Sources in contact with TMZ insist that narcotics were found on her upon police arrival. In addition to this, fentanyl is believed to be a factor in her sudden passing. Nonetheless, an official autopsy has yet to be conducted or released at this time.
Showing Respect to Gangsta Boo
The ‘Throw It Up’ artist was confirmed dead by her friend and former labelmate DJ Paul on Instagram. The Three 6 Mafia alumni posted a captionless photo of Boo with an outpouring of rap industry icons showing love in the comments. Rap heavyweights like Ludacris, Lil Jon, Big Boi, and Paul Wall left their condolences for one of the brightest stars to come out of Memphis.
Gangsta Boo is primarily known for being one of the only female members of Three 6 Mafia. The group emerged during a time when female rappers were already few and far in between. Despite this, she always held her own off and on the track.
Gangsta Boo, along with DJ Paul, Juicy J, La Chat, Project Pat, Crunchy Black, and several others, formed Three 6 Mafia in the early ’90s and quickly began gaining notoriety throughout the south with their debut album Mystic Stylez. Overnight this turned to national acclaim with the group’s breakout hit ‘Tear Da Club Up’ and ‘Late Night Tip’. All of this culminated in a groundbreaking achievement in 2006 when Three 6 Mafia became the first hip-hop group to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song with ‘It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp’. That record, and the hit movie Hustle n Flow from which it originated, helped bring the group into a huge spotlight.
An Artist All Her Own
Of course, Gangsta Boo’s legacy extends outside of Three 6 Mafia. Before leaving the group in the early 2000s, her solo music had already gained praise and respect from her peers. Namely, ‘Where Dem Dollas at’, ‘Love Don’t Live’, and ‘Nasty Trick’ effectively made Boo one to watch out for amongst her male peers. She continued to drop albums throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s, including Enquiring Minds Il – The Soap Opera, 4 da Hood, Witch, and Underground Cassette Tape Music, Vol. 1 and 2. During all this, Boo racked up countless features with rap’s biggest names like Outkast, TI, and Gucci Mane. Most often, she would collaborate with Killer Mike of Run The Jewels and close friend La Chat.
Gangsta Boo never stopped making music, right up until her death. Just last year she collaborated with Glorilla and Latto on ‘FTCU’ and perfectly matched both the southern hitmakers’ energy. And that’s no coincidence. The confidence, boldness, and rough flow coined by Gangsta Boo and other Memphis rappers in the 90s served as a massive inspiration for the female artists that followed. With so many successful female MCs recently coming from down south, Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Glorilla, and Flo Milli just to name a few, it’s safe to say Gangsta Boos’s legacy will always carry on.
Not to mention remaining members of Three 6 Mafia like La Chat, Juicy J and DJ Paul using social media to carry a torch for their late friend. Support and give condolences below.
— juicy j (@therealjuicyj) January 2, 2023
😭😭😭😭🤦🏾♀️😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/NIvMH29DAg
— La Chat (@dareallachat) January 2, 2023
Dreema Carrington
