According to pitchfork.com former member of Memphis hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia and pioneer of female Southern rap music, Gangsta Boo has died. The cause of death has not been revealed. Boo was 43 years old.
Boo was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on August 7, 1979, where she began to write poetry at an young age. While growing up Boo would frequently give her poems to her father, who, in turn, decided to gift Boo a keyboard and a karaoke machine.
By the time Boo was in junior high, she gained the attention of then-classmate DJ Paul while rapping in a talent show at the age of 14. During an interview with Passion of the Weiss Boo described how she became a part of Three 6 Mafia.
“DJ Paul wanted me to get on his mixtape, so I got on his mixtape and I became really popular. I was being requested to be on more of the Three 6 Mafia songs and I kind of just got in the group like that. People kept requesting me.” said Boo
At the age of 15 Boo recorded her verses for the the group’s debut studio album Mystic Stylez, which came out in 1995. The LP quickly gained popularity for the Southern rap and hip-hop scene due to Three 6 Mafia’s horrorcore musical style.
Following Three 6 Mafia’s success Boo decided to create music as a solo artist and when she released her debut solo album Enquiring Minds in 1998, Boo’s first successful single “Where Dem Dollas At?” featured Juicy J and DJ Paul. When Three 6 Mafia dropped their soundtrack, Choices: The Album, in 2001, Boo left the group to keep pursuing her solo career.
In same year, Boo released her sophomore LP, Both Worlds *69, which hit No. 29 on the Billboard 200 chart. Then Bool followed it up with the 2003 album, Enquiring Minds II – The Soap Opera, which became a sequel to her debut album.
During the 2000s artists Lil Jon, Gucci Mane, T.I and E-40 asked Boo to join in on their songs and hip – hop Outkast invited Boo to contribute to Stankonia with “I’ll Call B4 I Cum.” Boo went on to share numerous mixtapes and the most recent of which was 2018’s Underground Cassette Tape Music, Vol. 2.
When learning about Boo’s death, many artists have paid tribute to the late rapper, including Juicy J, Missy Elliott, El-P, Questlove, Glorilla, Open Mike Eagle, Ty Dolla $ign, A-Trak, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Flo Milli, Clipping., K. Michelle and Duke Deuce.
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