A farewell to the ‘Queen’

Family, friends and fans of Memphis rap pioneer Gangsta Boo packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the church pews to bid farewell to the “Queen of Memphis.”

Hundreds gathered to pay tribute to the late rapper during Saturday afternoon’s funeral service at Brown Missionary Baptist Church in Southaven. A celebration of her life as a performer and commitment to her family and friends was hosted at Railgarten Friday.

“As dark as this world got, or ever seemed, she gave us hope and let us know things were possible,” said her close friend and Memphis artist Drumma Boy, whose given name is Christopher Gholson. “She walked in and lit up the room. She sure knew her power. She loved and showed us how to love. It’s a lot of darkness, man, and she was the light.”

Also in attendance were state Rep. Antonio Parkinson and Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery. Both read proclamations for the family to commemorate Mitchell, and Lowery announced a county project to open a hip-hop museum “where [Mitchell’s] legacy will live on forever.”

“Lola is not only a Memphis legend, she is a hip-hop legend,” Lowery said. “Every time she was in the city, she would ask where she could be the most helpful. That’s a side most did not get to see.”