The music world has lost a rap pioneer.
Hip-hop star Gangsta Boo (real name: Lola Mitchell) has died.
The rapper (“Where Dem Dollas At”) died Sunday around 4 p.m. (local time) at the age of 43 in Memphis, Tennessee, according to local broadcaster Fox 13 in . The exact circumstances of death are not known.
Mitchell’s music career began in the ’90s: at the age of 14, she recorded her first song – “Cheefa Da Reefa” – with Three 6 Mafia. A year later, in 1994, she became a member of the rap group. After leaving Three 6 Mafia in the early 2000s, she took off as a solo artist. Over the past few decades, Gangsta Boo has worked with rap greats such as Eminem, OutKast, The Game, Gucci Mane, Lil Jon, TI and Killer Mike.
“I would honestly say that I have to respectfully and humbly admit that I am the blueprint,” she told US trade journal “ billboard” said. “I hear my rhythm on a lot of rappers. (…) I used to run away from it. I used to not even want to give myself flowers because I was so reserved and humble. It is time to claim what is mine.”
DJ Paul, founding member of Three 6 Mafia, posted a photo in memory of his late colleague. Several artists expressed their condolences in the comments.
The internet service TMZ‘ reports, citing those close to the rapper, that the death could be drug-related. Allegedly, Mitchell was with her brother at a concert in Memphis on Saturday night. Her brother overdosed later that night and was hospitalized.
According to insiders, narcotics were found on Mitchell’s premises, and the synthetic opioid fentanyl was believed to have been involved. According to TMZ, the police have launched an official investigation into the cause of death.
