Who was Boss? Health issues explored as iconic Def Jam female rapper from Detroit dies aged 46

Detroit rapper and Def Jam West label member Boss (often stylized as Bo$$) passed away recently at the age of 46, as reported by Hip Hop DX. The news of her untimely passing was first shared by rapper Bun B via Instagram on March 11, 2024. He shared an image of Boss with a heartfelt tribute in the caption.

“Rest in peace to my big sis Lichelle Laws AKA Boss. One of the best female MCs and a dear friend. Give Rick Royal a hug for me. Long Live The Org!”

Several others from the hip-hop community also took to the comment section of Bun B’s post and shared their tributes, including Jermaine Dupri, Jadakiss, 9th Wonder, Ed Lover, Lloyd Banks, and Slim Thug, among others, as per Hip Hop DX.

According to Hip-Hop DX, the exact cause of Boss’ death remains undisclosed. However, she had been struggling with renal disease for many years, as revealed on a GoFundMe page titled “Boss Healing Treatment After Stroke.”

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Boss was the first female emcee of Def Jam

According to All Music, Boss, who was born Lichelle Marie Laws, was a female gangster rapper who became the first female emcee signed by Russell Simmons’ Def Jam West Coast label, along with her partner Dee.

The duo struggled in New York and Los Angeles for a while before meeting DJ Quik, who changed the course of Boss’ hip-hop career. In 1993, her debut studio album, Born Gangstaz, was released and peaked at number three on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart of the year.

The album consisted of hit numbers such as Recipe of a H*e, I Don’t Give a F*ck, Deeper, Progress of Elimination, and Mai Sista Izza B*tch, among others, and was produced by Def Jef, Erick Sermon, Chyskillz, MC Serch, and the late Jam Master Jey.

In 2001, Bo$$ collaborated with Krayzie Bone on the latter’s album Thug On Da Line, followed by a mixtape in 2004 titled The Six Million Dollar Mixtape, as per Hip Hop DX.

The rapper and emcee attended Catholic school for twelve years and excelled in jazz, piano, and ballet before joining the rap scene. She was also an alumna of Oakland University.

A radio DJ in the mid-1990s in Houston, Texas, where she later settled, Bo$$ practiced East Coast rap, hardcore rap, and gangsta rap, among others.

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Exploring Boss’ health issues in the aftermath of her demise

Boss's GoFundMe page, titled “Boss Healing Treatment After Stroke," was set up in 2021 by Karyl Doll Laws Addison and Andrea Gladden.

The fundraiser page remains active, but donations have been disabled. Its description revealed that Bo$$ first went into renal failure in May 2011, which made her kidneys useless for processing necessary toxins from her body. This worsened when she suffered a stroke and seizure in 2017.

“We are now trying to see if the family can get a specialized procedure for her. The procedure is costly and we wanted to reach out to her extended family, friends, and fans, to ask for assistance with helping her to be blessed with this procedure to help her to get back to her health,” the post added.

The GoFundMe page also mentioned that after the procedure, she would be on a kidney transplant list. In May 2023, one of the fundraiser organizers posted an update noting that the rapper was “doing good” and was in recovery, thanking for the wishes, thoughts, and prayers. Before it was disabled, it raised $17,902 against the goal of $15,000.