Three 6 Mafia rapper Gangsta Boo dead at 43

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A pioneering rapper and former member of the hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, Gangsta Boo was found dead on Sunday at age 43.

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Gangsta Boo, whose legal name was Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, was found in the afternoon on New Year’s Day, WHBQ and Variety reported. No cause of death was given.

DJ Paul, a fellow member of Three 6 Mafia, shared a photo of Mitchell to social media on Sunday in an apparent tribute.

In a statement to WHBQ, Gangsta Boo’s mother, Veronica Mitchell, said, “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 death of our loved one.”

Rapper Juicy J, a founding member of Three 6 Mafia, posted a photo of Gangsta Boo on Twitter with a broken heart emoji.

Gangsta Boo rose to fame with Three 6 Mafia in the 1990s and 2000s, appearing on six albums, including the platinum-certified release “When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1,” the Los Angeles Times reported. She left the group in 2002 to focus on her solo career and spinoff group, Da Mafia 6ix.

Gangsta Boo appeared on WEtv’s “Marriage Boot Camp: The Hip Hop Edition” in 2022, and teamed up last month with GloRilla and Latto for “FTCU,” Variety reported.

GloRilla remembered Gangsta Boo as the “Queen of Memphis” in a post on Instagram.

Legendary hip-hop artist Missy Elliott remembered Gangsta Boo on Twitter, saying “Rest Peacefully.”

In a recent interview with Billboard, Gangsta Boo talked about her legacy, saying, “I would honestly say that I have to admit, respectfully and humbly, that I am the blueprint. I hear my cadence in a lot of men 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.”

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