AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 17: Gangsta Boo poses for a portrait backstage at Fader Fort presented by Converse during SXSW on March 17, 2012 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images)
The deaths of rappers Gangsta Boo and Lil Keed were unceremoniously and surreptitiously omitted from this years Grammys ‘In Memoriam’ tribute, and social media did not hold back in reacting to their absences.
On Sunday (Feb. 5), the ceremony held its annual segment where the academy honors those artists who died in 2022.
Among those who received their flowers this year were Takeoff, Coolie, and DJ Kay Slay.
Meanwhile, the 43-year-old Memphis rap pioneer Gangsta Boo’s name was oddly absent during Sunday’s memorial tribute.
Boo, whose real name is Lola Mitchell, was found dead on Jan. 1 in a neighborhood west of Memphis International Airport. Authorities believe she may have overdosed, with narcotics allegedly found on her person at her time of death, as previously reported by The Shade Room.
Fans on Twitter were quick to notice the glaring omission.
One user felt that “leaving out Gangsta Boo, one of the pioneers of Southern female rap, from the GRAMMY memoriam segment is a sin and a shame.”
Another commenter called the unfortunate situation “unacceptable and so disrespectful.”
A third user noted that Gangsta Boo may have been omitted due to her officially dying in 2023 and not last year as is custom during the Grammy Awards.
“My wife theorized that maybe Gangsta Boo will be up there at the next Grammys due to her technically passing in 2023. they have a year to get it right.”
While she was largely ignored during this year’s Grammy’s ceremony, Gangsta Boo’s death elicited an outpour of support by her peers in the wake of her passing
Hip hop colleagues like Juicy J, DJ Paul and GloRilla each paid their respects, while her mother, Veronica Mitchell, shared a message of appreciation for the late rapper’s supporters.
“The Mitchell family would like to thank everyone for their condolences regarding the untimely death of Lola ‘Gangsta Boo’ Mitchell, her mother wrote. “The family is asking for your continued prayers and privacy as we process the loss of our loved one.”
Meanwhile, YSL rapper Lil Keed’s cause of death has been revealed after he died suddenly last year, The Shade Room previously reported.
The 24-year-old, whose death has been linked to the rare condition of eosinophilia, was also notably absent during the memorial Grammy tributes on Sunday.
Fans similarly came to the late rapper’s support, and called out the academy for leaving the rapper out of the evening’s memorial services.
“Grammy’s really didn’t honor Lil Keed. Scum,” wrote another viewer. “Did they forget Lil Keed in the Grammy tributes??” a third commented.
What do you think, Roomies? Was their absence just a simple mistake? Or should the Grammys have included Gangsta Boo and Lil Keed?
