Juicy J Honors Late Gangsta Boo on New Jazz Album ‘Ravenite Social Club’

Juicy J has made a surprising musical shift with his new jazz album, Ravenite Social Club. At 49, the rapper paid homage to his late Three-6-Mafia collaborator, Gangsta Boo, on the album.

On the poignant track “To You,” which features a music video, the Memphis icon teamed up with Robert Glasper and Emi Seacrest. Juicy J’s lyrics reflect his sorrow and concern about Gangsta Boo’s struggles: “Last time I seen you, you was high, it was getting bad / You might’ve even cracked a joke, but I couldn’t laugh / Didn’t wanna speak on it, ’cause we all grown / Had a feeling you finna get called home.”

The rapper’s emotional tribute comes after Gangsta Boo’s tragic death in January 2023 from an accidental overdose. In a candid moment on Sway’s Universe, Juicy J revealed his awareness of her long-term substance use and expressed regret over not intervening. “I don’t know where that came from, but I was just looking at her like…’cause I knew she’d been doing it for a long time, so I was like, ‘Damn, man. You still doing cocaine?’” he recounted. “But I hadn’t seen Boo in a long time and so, you know, she a grown woman so I wasn’t trying to be all up in her business…I wish I could’ve said something. I’m like, ‘F**k.’”

With Ravenite Social Club, Juicy J ventures into the jazz genre for the first time. This album is his third in 2024, following the releases of Mental Trillness 2 in May, which included collaborations with Project Pat, Sukihana, and Xavier Wulf, and Memphis Zoo, released less than two months later, featuring Pat and Wulf.

Last year, Juicy J voiced his concerns over Hip-Hop’s declining sales, noting that it took six months for a Hip-Hop album to top the Billboard chart. “I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this, but I’m being real,” he said in a video. “Rap music is down 40%. Check the charts. Check the math. I don’t make the rules. What are we, as rappers, producers, composers, going to do about this sh*t? Because it’s down 40% this year. Check the charts. Do your research. This is a fact.”

Addressing this issue, Juicy J urged the Hip-Hop community to come together, suggesting a united front to tackle the problem. “Let’s have a conversation,” he insisted. “We gotta figure some sh*t out. We gotta sit down and talk. Let’s have a meeting, let’s meet up somewhere and have a big-a** f**king meeting.”