RAPPER Lichelle Laws, also known as Boss, has died aged 54, according to a post by fellow rapper Bun B.
The rapper from Houston, Texas, took to Instagram on March 11 with a picture of Laws and a tribute to his "big sis."
"Rest in peace to my big sis Lichelle Laws AKA Bos," he wrote in the caption.
"One of the best female MCs and a dear friend.
"Give Rick Royal a hug for me. Long Live The Org!"
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Tributes poured in below the post for Def Jam's first female rapper.
"Ahhhhhhh damnnnnn. I was a huge fan. Progress Of Elimination is one of my all time favs," one fan wrote.
"Man I always loved her," another added.
Fellow artist DJ Premier posted his own tribute a few hours after Bun B, sharing a picture of the Detroit rapper and asking Def Jam to search the "vaults."
"Damn! R.I.P. BO$$. Condolences to your family...," DJ Premier wrote in the caption.
"We did a dope 'Deeper Rmx' @defjam never released.
"Back in 1993 she came to D & D and recut her vocals to my beat. It was so RAW."
"Can someone at Def Jam find that in the Vaults? I want a copy of that Remix," he added.
"Sleep Peacefully Queen. Shit was mad real."
Laws hit the charts in 1993 when her debut album "Born Gangstaz" reached number three on Billboard's Top R&B/HipHop Albums chart.
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While the cause of death has not yet been announced, the mother of one has struggled with kidney problems and other health issues.
In 1999, Laws had kidney failure which saw her undergo dialysis for three and a half years during which time she was back living with her parents.
"Every complication that you have with it [bad kidneys] I had it," Laws told Metro Times in 2004.
"They told my mama I wouldn’t live past Thursday."
A friend donated a kidney to the rapper and Laws would continue to go into the studio connecting herself to an IV while she was there.
However, in 2011 it was revealed that the rapper was suffering from renal disease and needed a new kidney.
Then, in 2017 she had a "major stroke and seizure," according to a GoFundMe page established in January 2021.
"We are raising money for the Artist BO$$," the page states.
"She is a Hip Hop Legend that was signed to Def Jam West. The first female artist signed to the label's West Coast Division."
"We are now trying to see if the family can get a specialized procedure for her," it continued.
"The procedure is costly and we wanted to reach out to her extended family, her friends and fans, to ask for assistance with helping her to be blessed with this procedure to help her to get back to her health.
"The funds are needed as soon as possible to set her up for the procedure.
"After this procedure, she will be on the kidney list for a transplant from a donor, once we receive one."
Updates on the page show that almost $18,000 was raised for the rapper and that Laws was able to have the necessary procedure.
In May last year, the final update read: "I know it's been a while for some of you guys. I just wanted to stop by and let everyone know that Boss is doing good.
"We still are working through some challenges but the healing journey continues.
"Thank you for all the well wishes, thoughts and prayers. Love and light. Boss and the Management Team."
