Gangsta Boo, former Three 6 Mafia member and pioneer of Southern hip-hop, has been declared dead at 43.
Seminal Southern rapper and former Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo was found dead in her Memphis home on the afternoon of New Year’s Day. This shocking news was first reported by Fox 13 Memphis Later, it was confirmed in Instagram post by Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul. Although the cause of death is not known, TMZ reports that her passing “appears to be drug-related” and police are launching an official investigation. She was 43 years of age.
On New Year’s Eve, less than 24 hours before she died, Boo had posted a performance video on Instagram, writing: “Some of the things that I did in 2022! It was so much fun and productive! 2023 will be 23’n! #JORDAN #BOOPRINT #recap Happy New 2023 everyone!” In an interview with Billboard Boo shared that she was currently working on a new project in the interview, which ran last month. The BooPrintShe hoped to release the album in 2023.
Gangsta Boo was born Lola Chantrelle Mitchell in Memphis, Tenn. on August 7, 1979. She began rapping when she was 14. In 1994, when she was only 15 years old, she joined the influential hardcore/horrorcore collective Three 6 Mafia, becoming one of the group’s only female members (along with K-9) and staying with them for eight years, during which she appeared on their first five studio albums. In 2013, it was announced that Boo and fellow Three 6 Mafia members DJ Paul, Crunchy Black, Koopsta Knicca, and Lord Infamous had formed a new spin-off group, Da Mafia 6ix; Boo was prominently featured on Da Mafia 6ix’s debut mixtape, 6ix CommandmentsThe album reached No. 34 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart upon its official retail release in 2014.
Boo had a successful solo career before she quit Three 6 Mafia. Her debut album was released in 1998. Asking MindsThe album reached No. 15 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 46 on the Billboard 200. Her sophomore album, 2001’s Both Worlds *69It was a huge hit and peaked at No. 8 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and No. 29 on the Billboard 200. This was followed by her independent release two years later. Enquiring Minds II – The Soap Opera.
Boo also released 10 mixtapes from 2006 to 2018 and was a highly sought-after collaborator. He worked with Eminem and OutKast as well as T.I., the Game and Lil Jon.
In her December 2022 Billboard interview, Boo was quite candid when discussing her influence on the male-dominated genre of hip-hop, for which she didn’t always receive proper credit. “Gangsta Boo walked so a lot of people could run,” she asserted. “I would honestly say that I have to admit, respectfully and humbly, that I am the blueprint. My cadence is heard in many male and female rappers. … my sound is a Memphis sound. It’s a Gangsta Boo sound, it’s a Three 6 Mafia sound. So, I am the blueprint and I wear that badge proudly as f***. … I used to didn’t want to even give myself flowers because I’ve been so low-key and humble, but … it’s time to claim what’s mine.”
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