Bo$$, real name Lichelle Marie Laws, is an American rapper born in Detroit (Michigan) on September 12, 1969 and died in 2024. She began her musical career in the early 1990s after leaving university and moving to Los Angeles. She was spotted by DJ Quik, then signed by Russell Simmons on the Def Jam West label. In 1993, she released her only studio album, Born Gangstaz, produced by Def Jef among others. The album reached number 22 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Her best-known single, "Deeper ", reached #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 (#1 on the rap charts) and received extensive airplay on MTV and urban radio. Bo$$ was one of the first female rappers to adopt a large-scale hardcore gangsta image and style, which brought her both media attention and controversy, particularly after it was revealed that certain aspects of her biography had been exaggerated for promotional purposes. Despite this, she remains a key figure in the female rap scene of the 1990s. Her career slowed down after her first album, although she continued to collaborate with other artists and appear on several projects. In the 2000s, she suffered serious health problems linked to kidney disease, and underwent a transplant. She died on March 11, 2024 at the age of 54.
