Today, you have female rappers like Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj who are charting.
In the 1990s, there were many artists who paved the way. Gangsta Boo was one of them.
The Southern rapper, who was once a member of the rap collective Three 6 Mafia, has been found dead in her hometown – Memphis, Tennessee. She was 43.
The cause of her death has not been released.
Born Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, Gangsta Boo was just 14 years old when she launched her career, getting noticed by DJ Paul, a founding member of Three 6 Mafia, which included artists such as Juicy J, Crunchy Black and Lord Infamous.
A pioneer and trendsetter, she joined the hip hop group by the time she turned 15 and featured on Three 6 Mafia's 1995 debut album Mystic Stylez, which became a cult classic. She appeared on five more of the group's albums, including the platinum selling When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1.
In 1998, she released her debut solo album Enquiring Minds. It reached number 15 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and number 46 on the Billboard 200.
She left the group to focus on her solo career after Three 6 Mafia released Choices: The Album in 2001. Her second solo album Both Worlds (asterisk)69 reached number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart. She released her third album Enquiring Minds II: The Soap Opera in 2003. The album peaked at number 53 on the R&B/Hip Hop chart and 24 on the Independent Albums chart.
Gangsta Boo collaborated with artists such as OutKast, Eminem, Foxy Brown, Gucci Mane, Lil Jon, Krayzie Bone, E-40 and T.I. during her career. She was still releasing music prior to her death, appearing on Latto's FTCU with GloRilla just last month.
She was said to have "broke the Internet" in a 2021 VERZUZ battle for which she joined Three 6 Mafia against Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. It was a true battle with the rival groups breaking out in a fight on stage.
Gangsta Boo was on the verge of releasing her fourth studio album The BooPrint and recently filmed an unreleased video Imma Mack with producer Drumma Boy, who paid tribute to her in this post, saying "life will never be the same".
The rapper's mother Veronica Mitchell released a statement with her family saying:
"The Mitchell family would like to thank everyone for their condolences regarding the untimely death of Lola 'Gangsta Boo' Mitchell.
"The family is asking for your continued prayers and privacy as we process the loss of our loved one."
ABC/Wires
