On the latest episode of “Drink Champs,” N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN sat down with Gangsta Boo to discuss Verzuz, her history with Three 6 Mafia, women in hip hop, and more.
Born Lola Chantrelle Mitchell in Memphis, Tennessee, she kickstarted her career as a member of the legendary hip hop group Three 6 Mafia alongside the likes of DJ Paul, Juicy J, Crunchy Black, and others. They released their debut project, Mystic Stylez, in 1995, which garnered a lot of buzz for records like “Live by Yo Rep” and the title track. The group continued to pick up steam with 1996’s Chapter 1: The End, and Three 6 Mafia earned their first RIAA-certified platinum album with Chapter 2: World Domination in 1997. In the meantime, Gangsta Boo put out solo works such as her debut project Enquiring Minds, which notably earned the No. 15 spot on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. She also released Both Worlds *69 in 2001, her second and final project with DJ Paul and Juicy J’s label Hypnotize Minds.
Following her departure from Three 6 Mafia in 2002, Gangsta Boo went on to release her third studio album and the second installment in its series, Enquiring Minds II: The Soap Opera. On the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, the album peaked at No. 53, while on the Independent Albums chart, it reached No. 24. Though it would be her final solo project for several years, the musician collaborated with Lil Jon and The East Side Boyz for 2005’s “Da Blow,” Gucci Mane on 2006’s “Trap Gurl,” and several others. She returned in 2009 with a series of projects, including The Rumors; 4 Da Hood; Underground Cassette Tape Music, Vol. 1; and the Beatking-produced Candy, Diamonds & Pills, among others.
Towards the tail-end of last year, Gangsta Boo reunited with Three 6 Mafia during their Verzuz battle against Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Most recently, the rapper appeared on season 17 of WE tv’s “Marriage Boot Camp” alongside her longtime partner Emmett.
After her “Drink Champs” appearance, REVOLT compiled a list of nine facts we learned from Gangsta Boo’s interview. Check them out below and watch the full episode here.
1. On fighting Bizzy Bone during the Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Verzuz match
In December, Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony held their Verzuz battle in Los Angeles. Given that previous episodes of Verzuz have featured pairings based on acrimonious histories — like Jeezy and Gucci Mane — an actual brawl breaking out between the two groups came as a surprise to many viewers. Bizzy Bone and Juicy got into it halfway through the concert and then punches started flying among various members. Gangsta Boo claims that when Bizzy threw a bottle on stage, she “blacked out.”
“It was some behind-the-scenes, backstage s**t going on. It just trickled off on the stage and when he threw something … I don’t know, I blacked out to be honest. I didn’t even realize I blacked out until I saw it I guess. That’s some Memphis s**t,” she shares.
2. On the Memphis rap scene being like “crabs in the bucket” and new generation rappers
During the 90s, hip hop legends like Gangsta Pat, 8Ball, MJG, and Three 6 Mafia were among the first to put Memphis on the map for its music scene. While musicians like Yo Gotti, Duke Deuce, NLE Choppa, the late Young Dolph, and Jucee Froot are a few of the many blossoming artists from the Home of the Blues, Gangsta Boo says the city used to be like “crabs in the bucket.”
“It used to be crabs in the bucket. Now it’s not like that no more because it’s a lot of talent that came out of the city. Every hot rapper really from Memphis now,” Gangsta Boo says. “You got Dolph — rest in peace, Dolph — [Yo] Gotti, Moneybagg Yo, Key Glock … he’s one of my favorites. It’s just so many rappers, but back then, everybody was just scratching.”
3. On Three 6 Mafia members falling out with one another
Three 6 Mafia’s final album as a group was 2008’s Last 2 Walk and while both DJ Paul and Juicy J reunited via Da Mafia 6ix, many of the members went on to embark on their own solo careers — Gangsta Boo included. In an interview with Nas and Miss Info’s podcast “The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop” last year, Juicy J admitted that the group’s breakup was largely caused by their excessive use of drugs. In the same vein, Boo discusses her perspective of the group’s split, even saying they were “Two 6 Mafia” at one point due to everyone leaving.
“People grow apart and make certain decisions that other people might not agree with. We’re adults and stuff like that. When it became the Two 6 Mafia, just Paul and Juicy, I was like, ‘Oh s**t, where’s everyone else? It’s just two people,’” Boo states. “It’s almost like we’re back like we never left. Juicy kept it going with his sound and s**t.”
4. On her song “Suck A Little D**k” being written and recorded at 16
Before Cardi B’s “WAP,” records like Gangsta Boo’s “Suck A Little D**k” were at the forefront of the sexual liberation tracks by women in hip hop, as N.O.R.E. points out. The record, released in 1998, featured DJ Paul and Juicy J along with several innuendos and references to sexual pleasure. The singer admits that she never did half the things she said in the song at the time because she was 16 years old.
“I was like 16. I was like, ‘Damn, what was my mama doing?’ She’s wrong for letting me hang out with them n**gas, man. Traumatized me and s**t. I had to be like 16, I’ve been talking that s**t. I wasn’t even doing half of that s**t, I was a teen,” Boo admits.
5. On GloRilla being the next big female artist to come out of Memphis
GloRilla is Memphis’ latest prospect to shoot into viral triumph following the release of her single “F.N.F.,” which recently received a remix from Latto and JT of City Girls. According to Gangsta Boo, the CMG signee is carrying the torch for female rap in Memphis. In the interview, Boo talks about watching her blossom over the last several years and wishes her more success.
“I been watching them girls for the past couple of years and I was like, ‘What the f**k?’ It made me feel good, they represented Memphis right. It’s only been me and [La] Chat that came out of Memphis,” she said. “A year later, GloRilla got signed. I got distracted because I was thinking of her glow-up. I think she was 19, remember when [I] was that age?”
6. On being accused of doing meth on WE tv’s “Marriage Bootcamp”
While filming the hit WE series “Marriage Boot Camp: The Hip Hop Edition,” therapist Dr. Ish and Gangsta Boo had a heated argument when Boo was confronted about narcotics in her room. She accuses the show of planting meth in her room while comparing her experience with N.O.R.E.’s, who previously appeared on the show.
Speaking on the situation, Boo says, “They lied like a motherf**ker. I’ve never been so insulted. Really, I’ve never been so hurt. I balled. K. Michelle called me because she was on the show. Long story short, I take my charges. Whatever I do, I own up to what I do. When I saw that s**t and the fact that they edited that s**t, I just couldn’t believe it.”
7. On leaving Three 6 Mafia at 21 years old to find herself
In 2001, Gangsta Boo announced that she was no longer a part of Three 6 Mafia, as MTV reported. When discussing why she left, the rapper shares with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN that she embarked on a journey to find spirituality and God. The rap veteran explained, “It wasn’t even nothing personal. I left the group when I was 21. They were my manager, my producers, my label. Also, I was just young. I was on a spiritual journey. At the time, I thought it was religion.”
8. On her conversation with Bizzy Bone after Verzuz
Calling back to their conversation about Verzuz, Gangsta Boo spoke on Bizzy Bone yelling her name before throwing the bottle. Before he could get his final words out, the rapper threw a bottle, which sparked a fight. For the first time publicly, Gangsta Boo shares the conversation that she had with Bizzy following the match. When revealing what the rapper intended to say before the brawl, she tells “Drink Champs”: “‘And Gangsta Boo, you the only motherf**ker we was worried about ‘cause you out-rapping all them n**gas.’ That’s what he told me, and I didn’t know that until after.”
She adds, “He didn’t finish. I said, ‘Bizzy, you should’ve hurried up and rolled that s**t off before you threw something. You was too slow.’ ‘And Gangsta Boo, you the coldest.’ You said, ‘And Gangsta Boo’ and threw something.”
9. On “Where Dem Dollas At” getting a sync opportunity on “P-Valley”
When asked if she likes making music or performing music, Boo responded with the former, sharing that she still gets paid for songs she created years ago. The rapper cites her recent sync placement on season two of “P-Valley” as an example of why. “You can’t perform forever, you know? I made ‘Where Dem Dollas At’ when I was 18 years old. It was just on the new episode of ‘P-Valley.’ I didn’t perform it, I wrote it. I performed it in the studio in 1988; it’s 2022 and I got a check for that.”