Boss, the Detroit rapper who was the first woman to sign to Def Jam, has passed away. She was 54 years old.
Bun B revealed the news on Monday in a tribute post to Boss—née Lichelle Laws—writing, “Rest in peace to my big sis Lichelle Laws AKA Boss. One of the best female MCs and a dear friend."
DJ Premier also honored Boss on IG. “We did a dope “Deeper Rmx” @defjam never released,” he wrote. “Back in 1993 she came to D & D and recut her vocals to my beat. It was so RAW. We had a good session drinking 40's, puffin Lah, and vibing.”
Others shared their condolences, including Jadakiss, 9th Wonder, Ed Lover, Lloyd Banks, and Slim Thug.
According to TMZ, Boss was a Detroit native. She lived there until high school when she moved to Los Angeles. She was later discovered by an associate of DJ Quik and was subsequently signed by Russell Simmons to Def Jam. In 1993, she released her debut studio album, Born Gangstaz. Though her song “Deeper” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Single and No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100, she never released another album.
It’s unclear how she died. She reportedly was diagnosed with renal disease in 2011, and later suffered a stroke in 2017, for which she needed “costly” care, and potentially a kidney transplant.
RIP.
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