She was sometimes called the “Queen of Memphis.” Other times it was ‘Lady Boo’. But most of the time, it was “Gangsta Boo,” — given her name, Lola Mitchell.
On the first day of 2023, Mitchell, 43, was found dead at a friend’s home in Memphis, according to The Commercial Appeal’s news partner WMC Action News 5, who spoke with Delmar H. Lawrence, aka Mr. Del. Lawrence was a collaborator with Three 6 Mafia — the iconic Memphis group that propelled Mitchell and others to fame.
Lawrence’s comments were among many that poured in from fellow artists who worked with Mitchell.
Mitchell’s cause of death is unknown. Her death comes just a year after Memphis was saddened by the slaying of Castilia Heights native Adolph Thornton Jr., better known as Young Dolph.
On Monday afternoon, police confirmed Mitchell’s death in a tweet, saying officers found her dead around 2:18 p.m. on Sunday while responding to a call in the 1600 block of Raines Road. The investigation is ongoing and the results of her autopsy are pending, but there were no immediate signs of foul play, police said.
Gangsta Boo:Celebs React to Gangsta Boo’s Death: ‘Queen of Memphis FOREVER’
Beginning early Sunday night, tributes began to pour in for artists Mitchell directly worked with or influenced.
Alphonzo Bailey, a famous Memphis rapper known as Al Kapone, was Mitchell’s friend and associate. He described Mitchell’s death as a deep, significant loss for Memphis. Mitchell, she told The Commercial Appeal, let him know early on what his own style and influence meant to her.
“This is a great loss to the Memphis rap community,” Bailey said. “Boo is one of the first to represent female rappers in a big way and is still revered by young female rappers today like GloRilla and Gloss. Gangsta Boo is one of the reasons Memphis rap is global today. We will miss her and always represent her legacy. My condolences to her family.”
DJ Paul, one of the founding members of Three 6 Mafia and an early collaborator of Mitchell’s, took to social media to pay tribute to her Sunday, with a wordless post of Mitchell on a turntable mixer.
Widely considered a trailblazer among female rappers, Mitchell’s steady rise as an ambassador for Memphis hip-hop began with her work on Three 6 Mafia’s first full-length studio album, “Mystic Stylez,” in the mid-’90s . She recorded several albums with the original core of Three 6 Mafia before parting ways with the band following the release of her second solo album in 2001, “Both Worlds *69”.
And while her initial success is largely associated with Three 6 Mafia, her solo work has held her own. In 1998, he released “Enquiring Minds,” which included the hit “Where Dem Dollars At?!”
All three of her solo albums topped the R&B charts. A steady stream of mix tapes and collaborations has kept her name in the game throughout a career spanning nearly three decades.
Last week, Mitchell shot an unreleased video with fellow Memphian and award-winning producer Drumma Boy, according to a written statement from Echoing Soundz’s Echo Hattix.
Hattix also shared a statement from Veronica Mitchell, Mitchell’s mother, and other family members:
“The Mitchell family would like to thank everyone for their condolences on the untimely passing of Lola ‘Gangsta Boo’ Mitchell. The family asks for your continued prayers and privacy as we process the loss of our loved one,” they said.
Hattix’s statement also said the cause of death had not been released due to the ongoing investigation.
Mitchell’s relevance as one of the first major female rappers to represent the South has endured and shined a spotlight on other female rappers who followed, including Gloria Woods, better known as GloRilla, the latest Memphis rapper to take the spotlight of publicity with hits like “FNF”
In November 2022, Mitchell appeared on the popular culture program “Drink Champs” and talked about rising stars GloRilla and Memphis rapper Gloss Up. Supporting women in rap, Mitchell said, was important.
“It just made me feel good, because they went down and represented Memphis right,” Mitchell said.
On Sunday night, Woods shared screenshots, reportedly of conversations between her and Mitchell.
“He always had me and the girls up before we blew up,” Woods said.
Commercial Appeal reporter Katherine Burgess contributed to this report.
Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering issues related to access and justice. She can be reached at [email protected]
