Fan-favorite rapper Bo$$, who was active in the 1990s, has died. She was 54. Fellow rapper Bun B shared the sad news on social media, though he did not reveal a cause of death.
Originally from Detroit, Bo$$ — real name Lichelle Marie Laws — moved out to Los Angeles in the early ’90s to pursue her rap career. She landed some big opportunities and eventually caught the eye of Def Jam Records. The label decided to sign her, making her the first female artist to join to Def Jam’s West Coast Division.
In 1993, Bo$$ released her only solo album, Born Gangstaz, which featured production from hip-hop icons like Erick Sermon and Jam Master Jay. The album included the Barry White-sampled track “Deeper,” which made landed at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100. Born Gangstaz reached #22 on the Billboard albums chart, selling hundreds of thousands of units.
Bo$$ went on to feature on tracks from artists like Spice 1 and South Central Cartel but, per Stereogum, her career took a hit in 1994 when the Wall Street Journal published an article that questioned the legitimacy of some claims she made about her life in her music.
After her hip-hop career began to decline, Boss moved to Dallas in the mid-’90s. There, she raised her child and worked as a radio DJ. She attempted to pitch new demos but was not picked back up by Def Jam. In the 2000s, Bo$$ turned up on a Krayzie Bone album, and released a couple of mixtapes. This was the closest she ever came to a revival of her hip-hop career.
Sadly, Boss began suffering from kidney issues in the early 2000s. She suffered a stroke in 2017, and in 2021, a GoFundMe campaign revealed that her family and friends were raising money to help the retired rapper get a kidney transplant. At this time, Bo$$’ cause of death is unclear.