Hip-hop pays tribute as Bo$$, first female rapper signed to Def Jam, passes away at 54

The first renowned female rapper to have been signed to Def Jam, Bo$$, has passed away. The death, which was confirmed by Rapper Bun B on Monday evening, saw the outpouring of grief by sympathizers.

Bun took to his X account to honor the late rapper whose real name was Lichelle Marie Laws: “Rest in peace to my big sis Lichelle Laws AKA Boss. One of the best female MCs and a dear friend.”

The announcement by Bun triggered a massive swell of responses within the hip-hop community. Prominent figures such as Jermaine Dupri, Jadakiss, 9th Wonder, Ed Lover, Lloyd Banks, Slim Thug, and several others paid homage to the pioneering MC, according to TMZ.

DJ Premier was full of praise for Bo$$, hailing her as a gifted legend, and appealed to Def Jam to release a collaboration he had with her in 1993. DJ Battlecat honored Bo$$ for the trailblazing role she played for women in gangsta rap and summed it up by saying, “Rest in Detroit Queen”.

Bo$$ was born and raised in Detroit but relocated to Los Angeles after high school. She immersed herself in the local music scene and caught the attention of DJ Quik’s associates.

She was signed to Def Jam by Russell Simmons and dropped her debut studio album in 1993, “Born Gangstaz”. Her track “Deeper” made it to the Hot 100 on the charts and enjoyed some popularity among the music community.

Details surrounding the official cause of Bo$$’s death remain unknown. However, she has been grappling with renal disease since her diagnosis in 2011.

A GoFundMe campaign was started in 2017 to raise funds to support her medical expenses after she suffered a stroke and seizure which warranted “costly” medical care including a possible kidney transplant.

She died at the age of 54.