It’s a sad day for fans of hip-hop. Bo$$ has reportedly died. She was the first female rapper signed to Def Jam.
Reports didn’t reveal a cause of death. However, Bo$$ had suffered from renal disease since 2011. Additionally, she had a stroke in 2017 in possible need of a kidney transplant.
Fellow rapper Bun B announced that Bo$$ had passed. The musician was 54. Bun B memorialized the rapper, whose real name was Lichelle Marie Laws. According to TMZ, Bun B posted a picture of the rapper. He also captioned the post, “Rest in peace to my big sis Lichelle Laws AKA Boss. One of the best female MCs and a dear friend.”
Bun B’s announcement sent ripples through the rap community. Several other hip hop artists took time to pay tribute to Bo$$ for paving the way for other artists. For instance, Ed Lover, Slim Thug, Lloyd Banks, Jadakiss, and Jermaine Dupri ranked among the other artists offering respect.
Rap World Remembers Bo$$
Additionally, DJ Premier also offered his condolences. He reflected on a time that he collaborated with her. He asked Def Jam to release the collab from the vaults.
The rapper wrote, “DJ Premier also weighed in, praising Bo$$ as a talented legend, and made a public plea for Def Jam to release a collab he’d recorded with her in 1993. “D–n! R.I.P. BO$$. Condolences to your family…SALUTE DETROIT!”
He continued, “We did a dope “Deeper Rmx” @defjam never released. Back in 1993 she came to D & D and recut her vocals to my beat. It was so RAW. We had a good session drinking 40’s, puffin Lah and vibing. Can someone at Def Jam find that in the Vaults? I want a copy of that Remix. Sleep Peacefully Queen. S–t was mad real.”
Others also took a moment to comment on the post. For instance, one person wrote, “D–n RIP! Had the tape back in the day! Boss was dope.”
Another commented, “What!!! No! Condolences to her loved ones.”
Still another commented, “RIP. She was talented. Progress of Elimination was a great track, that whole album was nice.”
Born and raised in Detroit, Bo$$ hit the L.A. music scene. She first rose to prominence by quickly garnering attention with DJ Quick. Russell Simmons ended up signing Bo$$ to Def Jam.
Bo$$ dropped her only studio album Born Gangstaz in 1993 to moderate success.