BO$$, Def Jam West’s first female rapper, ‘Born Gangstaz’ musician, dead at 54

Lichelle Laws, who became Def Jam West’s first female wrapper under her stage name of BO$$, died Monday in a Michigan hospital. She was 54.

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A family spokesperson told The Detroit News that Laws died at Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield due to kidney failure.

The rapper’s record label also confirmed the death of the Detroit native, best known for her 1993 album “Born Gangstaz,” in a social media post, Entertainment Weekly reported.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lichelle Marie Laws, also known as Bo$$,” Def Jam wrote on Instagram. “Bo$$ will be remembered as a pioneer in hip-hop.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that Laws had been battling renal disease and suffered a “major stroke and seizure” in 2017, according to a 2021 GoFundMe organized by her sister Karyl Laws Addison.

Laws became part of the West Coast’s growing rap scene in the 1990s, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She moved to Los Angeles after spending time in New York City.

In 1993, Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons launched Def Jam West, also known as DJ West, the entertainment news website reported.

Laws was the label’s first female signee, and her 1993 single, “Deeper,” opened with a nod to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song, “Under the Bridge,” the News reported. It also sampled music from 1970s singer Barry White, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

BO$$ was a duo that consisted of Laws and her disc jockey, Irene “Dee” Moore, the entertainment news website reported.

“Born Gangstaz,” the debut album from Boss was released in May 1993 and sold nearly 400,000 copies, the News reported. It featured cameos by Onyx, AMG and Laws’ parents, according to the newspaper. It had two singles, “Progress of Elimination” and Recipe of a Hoe.”

The album peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow posted a tribute to Laws on Instagram.

“The Hip Hip Alliance is saddened by the passing of our Beloved ‘BO$$.’ First Detroit Female Gangsta rapper signed to Def Jam,” Blow wrote. “She will never be forgotten and will live in our hearts forever. We send our sincere condolences to her family, friends, Detroit, and the entire world. RIP legend.”

Laws was born Sept. 12, 1969, and told the Times in 1993 that she had a “very proper upbringing,” which included ballet classes in her youth and an education at Oakland Community College near Detroit.

“I didn’t start living till I got out of that proper (expletive),” she said. “That’s when the real me got out of the cage.”

Laws’ family has set up an online memorial fund. They will hold a public celebration of Laws’ life on March 23 at a location to be determined, the Times reported.

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