Three 6 Mafia’s Gangsta Boo Dead at 43

Those in the hip-hop community are mourning the loss of rap legend Gangsta Boo, born Lola Mitchell, a former member of Three 6 Mafia. She was 43. FOX13 reported that DJ Paul, a member of Three 6 Mafia, confirmed the tragic news. Mitchell was found dead on New Year’s Day around 4 p.m. local time. The cause of death has not yet been determined. The Memphis music scene and community have long been home to Mitchell, who started her career in the ’90s when she teamed up with Paul, Juicy J, Lord Infamous, Crunchy Black, Koopsta Knicca, and others as a founding member of the rap group. Although Mitchell was one of the only female rappers in Three 6 Mafia, she made a name for herself over the years. The singer became famous after joining Three 6 Mafia in 1995. Besides releasing her own solo albums at the time, Mitchell was featured on Three 6 Mafia’s first five studio albums, including their debut album in 1995, Mystic Stylez. Also notable were Chapter 1, When the Smoke Clears, and even Choices, which served as the soundtrack to the corresponding movie. 

Despite her tenure with the group, Mitchell left Three 6 Mafia after Choices was released in 2001 for several reasons, including group issues, religion, alleged financial mismanagement, and a desire to pursue a solo career. She released her first debut album as a solo artist, Enquiring Minds, in 1998. In 2001, she released Both Worlds #69 and Enquiring Minds II: The Soap Opera, and in 2003, she released Enquiring Minds II: The Soap Opera. She has also released numerous mixtapes, including 2018’s Underground Cassette Tape Music 2. There are also countless features she’s worked on with artists such as Gucci Mane, Lil Jon, OutKast, E-40, T.I., and The Game, among others.

Mitchell continued to rap and collaborate with Killer Mike and El-P in their hip-hop duo Run the Jewels into the 2020s. She also partnered with media outlets to release music. Mitchell recently stopped by UPROXX Sessions to perform “I’m Fresh,” has taught Boo Lingo lessons and her contributions to the Three 6 Mafia track “Tear The Club Up” were featured on Latto and GloRilla’s recent single “FTCU.” Her death has already been mourned by names in the hip-hop community, like Daz Dillinger and Run The Jewels’ El-P. Dillinger posted a brief clip of Mitchell on Instagram, writing in the caption, “REST N PEACE TO MY GOOD FRIEND MY SISTA I CANT BELIEVE IT THIS NEW YEAR IS TRAGICAL I LOVE U BOOO MY GIRL.” Including a broken heart emoji in the message, El-P tweeted, “love you Lola thank you for your friendship.”