On Sunday fellow Three 6 Mafia member DJ Paul broke news with an Instagram post that the group’s female artist, Gangsta Boo-43, passed earlier on New Year’s Day. Reportedly, she was discovered unresponsive on the porch of her home west of Memphis International Airport at approximately 4 p.m. No official cause of death has been released, although reports are saying she overdosed.
“There were no immediate signs of foul play,” the Memphis Police Department said in a statement on Monday, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
Born as Lola Chantrelle Mitchell in Memphis, Tenn., alongside three older brothers, they were raised in Nan area named “Whitehaven,” but they Ebonically coined it “Blackhaven” due to prominence of melaninated people.
“I got a hood in me because I had a lot of hood friends,” she said in an interview with All Urban Central in June 2022.
The Memphis native helped define the South’s hip-hop genre during the mid-1990s with her distinctive flow and sound. She soon became recognized as one of the era’s elite female rappers during a time when southern rappers were gaining national recognition.
Three 6 Mafia’s dropped their debut album “Mystic Stylez” in 1995, featuring Juicy J, Gangsta Boo aka ”the devil’s daughter” and DJ Paul. She released her debut solo album, “Enquiring Minds,” in 1998.
Although she continued recording with the group, by the dawn of the new millennium, she embarked on a solo career, and in 2001, she took on “Lady Boo” as her new moniker because she was not “living the gangster lifestyle” and was growing spiritually.
After her departure, Three 6 Mafia won an Oscar in 2006 for best original song with “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the film “Hustle & Flow.” She continued collaborating with many artists, especially those from the South.
Reportedly, in later years, she had issues with substance abuse. She spoke about it slightly while featured in a May 2022 episode of “Marriage Boot Camp,” after the moderator, Dr. Ish, asked about it. Social media has been blazing with the news, with numerous fans and friends expressing their sorrow. Funeral arrangements haven’t been released at press time.