Boss (rapper)

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Bo$$
Background information
Birth nameLichelle Marie Laws[1]
Born(1969-09-12)September 12, 1969
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
OriginDetroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMarch 11, 2024(2024-03-11) (aged 54)
Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Years active1988–1995
2001–2024
LabelsDef Jam West/Chaos/Columbia/SME Records (1992–1995)
8055 Records (2004–2006)

Lichelle Marie Laws (September 12, 1969 – March 11, 2024),[2] better known by her stage name Boss (stylized as Bo$$), was an American rapper from Detroit. Her debut album, Born Gangstaz, reached number three on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 1993. Laws became best known as a part of the burgeoning West Coast gangsta rap scene in the early ’90s.[3]

Life and career[edit]

Laws was born in Detroit to Joe Laws, an autoworker, and Lillie, who took her master's degree in education, Detroit, and was a teacher at junior high and middle schools, formerly a teacher of business education at Lewis College of Business, Detroit. Her parents were both church deacons. She had two elder sisters.[4][5] Laws relocated to Los Angeles after graduating high school, accompanied by her DJ Irene 'Dee' Moore. She was spotted by DJ Quik who stuck her on a track with AMG. Russell Simmons liked the track and promptly signed her to Def Jam West.[4] Her debut album Born Gangstaz was released in 1993,[6] and the singles, "Deeper" and "Recipe for a Hoe", hit number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart.[7]

In 1994, Laws was interviewed by a reporter from The Wall Street Journal, who revealed that she grew up in a middle-class neighborhood (on the West Side, Detroit), studied ballet and piano, and attended Catholic private school (where she was a cheerleader), before majoring in business for two years at Oakland University.[4][5][8][9] Laws had never attempted to disguise the truth of her upbringing; the intro of her 1993 album Born Gangstaz, "Intro: A Call from Mom", has her mother Lillie describe her as "a young lady who was brought up through Catholic school for 12 years; and dance schools, tap dance, jazz, piano lessons and all of that; plus, you went to college for three years..."[10] "The album is, in fact, bracketed with a mockery of her rearing; phone messages from mama and papa particularizing a privileged suburban upbringing (Catholic-school, piano-playing, tap-dancing)" belying the record's "unyielding vulgarity and embroidered aggression" with a "brilliant... self-mocking disclaimer". Def Jef, who produced the album and suggested the inclusion of Laws's parents, observed, "I can't believe none of the reviews saw the irony of that. No one did!" Having left Detroit for south-side Los Angeles in 1990, Laws and Moore encountered its "squalid side... derelict hotels, feudal gangs, dealing and hustling". Prior to securing a record deal, they lived in poor circumstances, selling drugs, sleeping on benches, and living in low-rent hotels. Her parents were unaware of the lifestyle she was leading. In the wake of her first album, Laws and Moore stopped working together, Laws noting, "We couldn't work together anymore, but we were still cool"; Moore's Def Jam deal never came to anything.[4][5]

In the mid-1990s, Laws relocated to Texas to record songs with Ricardo Royal, a.k.a. "Coco Budda", a rapper whose work she had admired. Laws settled in Houston, entered a relationship with Royal, and had a son, Lamar. Although living a more relaxed life, Laws recorded demos for a second album, funded by Def Jam, but the label rejected them, and she was dropped from the label. Laws took this development in stride, noting, "I was used to that kind of shit... I thought I was good enough to get another deal. But I just chilled in Texas. Then I got sick." Still performing shows despite waning popularity in light of her lack of new releases, Laws moved to Dallas with Royal, where she took a job as co-host of a nightly hip-hop radio show on KKDA-FM, where she stayed for five years, recalling in 2004 "that was a bomb job". By 1999, she was suffering kidney failure; she and Royal amicably split up, and she went to live with her parents, undergoing dialysis for three and a half years, experiencing "every complication that you have with... bad kidneys", and given a poor prognosis. At times of comparatively better health, Laws recorded with Def Jef, who praised her dedication, lack of self-pity, and resolve in the face of her health problems. In 2001, she collaborated with Krayzie Bone on his album Thug On Da Line. In 2004, she released a mixtape titled The Six Million Dollar Mixtape produced by Def Jef.[11] In 2004, Laws observed of her more recent work, "It's still hardcore... it's me. I've been through so much. I try to put a message in there, but it's not preachy shit." Def Jef claimed to have "shopped (Laws) to almost every major and indie label and met with resistance... People are always asking about how she looks, what her age is... it's never about the music. I'll work with Boss when she's 45 years old. She gave me a new perspective on women."[4][5]

Death[edit]

It was revealed in May 2011 that Laws was in need of a kidney due to her suffering from renal disease. Laws reached out to the Facebook community for a potential donor, but none were found.[12] In 2017, Laws suffered from "a major stroke and seizure", and on 31 January 2021 a GoFundMe was set up to raise $15,000 for a recommended medical procedure. By February 17, the NME reported it had reached $2,215; by March 3, it had surpassed the $15,000 goal, reaching $16,314.[13] Laws had suffered from renal disease since 2011 and eventually found herself in need of a kidney transplant. Laws died at a hospital in Southfield, Michigan on March 11, 2024, at the age of 54.[2][14][3]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Title Release Peak chart positions
US US
R&B
Born Gangstaz 1993 22 3

Mixtapes[edit]

  • The Six Million Dollar Mixtape (2004)
  • Doin Everythang with D.E.T. (2008)[15]

Singles[edit]

Title Release Peak chart positions Album
Hot
100 		R&B Rap Dance
"Deeper" 1993 65 28 1 25 Born Gangstaz
"Recipe of a Hoe" 118[A] 73 1 29

Guest appearances[edit]


Title

 Release Other artist(s) Album
"Mai Sista Izza Bitch" 1991 AMG Bitch Betta Have My Money
"Don't Ring the Alarm (The Heist)" 1993 Spice 1, G-Nut 187 He Wrote
"No Peace" 1995 South Central Cartel, Ice-T, Powerlord Jel, Spice 1, Ant Banks, Treach, Dori Murder Squad Nationwide
"A Thugga' Level" 2001 Krayzie Bone, LaReece Thug on da Line
"Rollin' Up Some Mo'" Krayzie Bone, LaReece, Asu, K-Mont, Keef G

Soundtrack appearances[edit]


Title

 Release Episode Soundtrack
"Diary of a Mad Bitch" 1992 Zebrahead
"Run, Catch & Kill" 1994 Mi Vida Loca
"I Don't Give a Fuck"[16] 2013 "Lesbian Request Denied" Orange Is the New Black
"I Don't Give a Fuck"[citation needed] 2022 "Under Pressure" The Man Who Fell to Earth

Videography[edit]

Music videos[edit]


Title

 Release Other artist(s) Album
"Deeper" 1993 Born Gangstaz
"Recipe of a Hoe"
"No Peace" 1995 South Central Cartel, Ice-T, Powerlord Jel, Spice 1, Ant Banks, Treach, Dori Murder Squad Nationwide

References[edit]

  1. ^ "A CALL FROM MOM". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Del Rosario, Alexandra (March 12, 2024). "Boss, Def Jam's first female rapper and 'Born Gangstaz' musician, dies at 54". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Billboard, Damien Scott (2024-03-13). "BO$$, Def Jam West's First Female Rapper, Dies at 54". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  4. ^ a b c d e Smith, Brian. "Music: Same as the old Boss". Metro Times. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  5. ^ a b c d "Why The Double Standard When It Comes To Violence? | The Seattle Times". Archive.seattletimes.com.
  6. ^ Andy Kellman. "Born Gangstaz". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  7. ^ "Rap Music: Top Rap Songs Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  8. ^ "Pants On Fire: Hip-Hop's Most Exposed Liars". Complex. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  9. ^ "Boss :: The Six Million Dollar Mixtape :: 8055 Music". Rapreviews.com.
  10. ^ "boss - intro a call from mom - Born Gangstaz". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
  11. ^ Jost, Matt (30 November 2004). "The Six Million Dollar Mixtape Review". Rapreviews.com. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  12. ^ Steven. "Rapper Bo$$ In Need Of Kidney Transplant". Hip Hop DX. Archived from the original on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  13. ^ "GoFundMe page set up for the rapper Bo$$ to help pay her medical bills". NME. 17 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Detroit Rapper Bo$$ Has Died—Bun B, Jermaine Dupri, The D.O.C. & More React". All Hip Hop. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Doin Every Thang by D.E.T". Rateyourmusic.com.
  16. ^ "Orange is the New Black Music - Season 1: "Lesbian Request Denied" - TuneFind". TuneFind.com. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 18 Sep 2014.
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