Remembering BO$$: Def Jam’s Pioneering Female Rapper
Hello, fellow music enthusiasts! Welcome to TV Talk Today and I have some sad news to pass on for those of you who are fans of old-school hip hop from the 1990s. Rapper BO$$, who was Def Jam’s first female gangster rapper, reportedly died at the age of 46, though some news outlets have her age as being 54. BO$$, best known as the first female MC signed to Death Jam recordings, has reportedly passed away on Monday, March 11th.
Tributes from the Music Community
Bun B took to his Instagram to share the unfortunate news while paying tribute to The Departed in a heartfelt post next to an image of the Detroit native who this article is reporting as being 46 years old at the time of her passing, though as I said, some outlets have her being 54. Wikipedia has their age of 54, but you know Wikipedia can be wrong.
Anyway, he wrote, “Rest in peace to my big sis lelle laws AKA boss, one of the best female MCs and a dear friend. Get Rick Royal a hug for me, long live the org. Jermaine Dupri, J Kiss, Knife Wonder, Ed Lover, Lloyd Banks, and Slim Thug were among the many people who paid their respects under the UGK spitters’ social media share. Soon after, DJ Premiere posted his own message to his peer and wrote, “Dan rest in peace boss, condolences to your family.” We did a dope deeper remix that Death Jam Never released back in 1993. She came to DND D and cut and recut her vocals to my beat. It was so raw, we had a good session drinking 40s, puffing law, and vibing. He concluded by asking people at the label to help him release said joint. Ed, can someone at Death Jam find that in the vaults? I want a copy of that remix. Sleep peacefully, Queen was mad real.
And a lot of these are just, uh, you know, shout-outs to her and tributes. I hate posting, but people got to know who she was from Detroit’s very own first-fire incredible MC boss to come out and set the tone with Gangster rapping lyrical heartfelt way. It’s from DJ Battlecat and um wrestling que wrestling Detroit Queen thank you for everything for being by her side when we all first met in 1993 in Garage Studio. Wow.
Warren G also gave a shout-out saying rest in peace Lelle AKA boss, one of the dopest females to raping was a good friend and label mate # Death Jam. Born and raised in Detroit, Boss moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school and immediately began Making Waves in the local scene. Soon after, she was discovered by one of DJ Quick’s Associates. Russell Simmons heard about her and signed her to Death Jam’s West Coast branch in 1993.
A Musical Legacy
She released her only studio album “Born Gangsters” with hits such as “Recipe of a Hoe,” “I Don’t Give a Deeper,” “Progress of Elimination,” and “My Sister is a.” The LP went on to reach number 22 on the Billboard 200 tally and number three on the top R&B hip-hop albums chart. It is also worth noting that the album was produced by several all-time Star beatman makers such as Jam Master J, MC Search, and Eric Surman, among others. Additionally, it featured cameos by Onyx Admiral D, Papa Jugy, and many more.
Though a cause of death has not been released, Boss, over the last few years, has been struggling with health-related issues, including renal failure. In the years leading up to her passing, a page was set up on her GoFundMe about three years ago. She was suffering from renal disease, which rendered her kidneys useless for processing toxins in her body. Back in 2017, she suffered a major stroke and seizure following which she was in desperate need of a kidney transplant. And it was, I think, it was, uh, I think I just saw that last year was revealed that $116,000 have been raised for health treatments procedures, but unfortunately, I guess you, her health Wes caught up with her today and she passed away.
So, um, I remember one thing that came out about her was that some people refer to her as a studio gangster. Like, basically, she wasn’t experiencing. Basically, she wrapped up experiences that she didn’t really live. Um, at the time, that was a big deal, right? You could argue that that was a big deal, like, uh, you know, to be a rapper and a rap about things that you weren’t really truly experiencing. But in today’s climate, man, that doesn’t mean, you know what I’m saying? You got guys out there who are completely fraudulent, not just lying about their experiences, but lying about their bank accounts, lying on their d**k, and it doesn’t matter to you, new generation. You know what I’m saying?
Final Farewell
One thing you can say about Boss, though, is that she had definite rap skills. She’s one of the dopest females, one of the now I got to say past tense, she was one of the dopest female MCs of all time. So, rest in peace, Boss.