First female rapper signed to Def Jam, BO$$, is dead

Tuesday, March 12, 2024 – Bo$$, the first female rapper to be signed by Def Jam, passed on at age 54.

Rapper Bun B who announced the news, wrote;

“Rest in peace to my big sis Lichelle Laws AKA Boss. One of the best female MCs and a dear friend."

Bun's announcement sparked quite a huge reaction from the hip-hop world as Jermaine Dupri, Jadakiss, 9th Wonder, Ed Lover, Lloyd Banks, Slim Thug and many others all paid tribute to the pioneering MC.

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.

DJ Battlecat remembered Bo$$ for leading the way for women in gangsta rap and added, "Rest in Detroit Queen."

Bo$$ was born and raised in Detroit but moved to Los Angeles shortly after graduating high school. She integrated herself into the local music scene, catching the eye of one of DJ Quik‘s associates.

Russell Simmons signed her to Def Jam, and by 1993 she dropped her first (and only) studio album, "Born Gangstaz." She found some success on the charts with "Deeper" making the Hot 100.

While the cause of her death is yet to be revealed, it was however gathered that she had battled a renal disease which she was first diagnosed with in 2011. A GoFundMe was also set up in her name after a 2017 stroke and seizure left her needing "costly" care including a possible kidney transplant.