Former Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo has died. The pioneering female rapper passed away at the age of 43 on January 1st, 2023, Fox 13 have confirmed.
Born in 1979 in Memphis, Tennesee, Boo – real name Lola Mitchell – began writing poetry as a child, later turning to music after her father bought her a keyboard and a karaoke machine. In high school, her talents caught the attention of classmate DJ Paul, who, as Mitchell told Passion of the Weiss in 2012, “wanted me to get on his mixtape, so I got on his mixtape and I became really popular.”
Having adopted the Gangsta Boo moniker, Mitchell joined Three 6 Mafia on a full-time basis, recording her first verses as a member for the group’s debut album Mystic Stylez when she was still just 15. Arriving in 1995, the album bought the Southern rap scene to international attention.
From there, Boo remained an important contributor to Three 6 Mafia’s horrorcore sound, rapping on albums such as 1996’s Chapter 1: The End, 1997’s Chapter 2: World Domination, 1999’s Tear Da Club Up Thugs, and 2000’s When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1.
In 1998, Gangsta Boo broke out as an artist in her own right with her debut solo album, which included the hit single ‘Where Dem Dollas At?’ featuring Juicy J and DJ Paul. At 19, she was at the top of her game.
Following the release of Three 6 Mafia’s Choices The Album in 2001, Gangsta Boo split left the group to pursue her blossoming solo career, dropping her second album Both Worlds *69 that same year. In the 2000s, she released tracks with the likes of Lil Jon, E-40, Outkast and Gucci Mane. More recently, she’s worked with Run The Jewels, Blood Orange and Yelawolf. In December 2022, she revealed she was working on a project titled BooPrint and slated for 2023.
