Samantha Lawrence death: One half of ’80s duo Wee Papa Girl Rappers dies aged 55 following second cancer diagnosis
Samantha Lawrence, one half of the ’80s British rap duo Wee Papa Girl Rappers, has tragically died.
The hip hop singer died after after battling her second cancer diagnosis, her family announced. She was 55.
The musician, also known by her stage name TY Tim and her sister Sandra Lawrence, also known as Total S, found chart success with their music in the late 80s.
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The family confirmed that Lawrence died peacefully in London after receiving a secondary cancer diagnosis this year, per reports.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that beloved sister and mother Samantha Lawrence passed away on Sunday,” the family’s statement read, per The Independent.
“Samantha, aka TY Tim, was known for her chart success with Wee Papa Girl Rappers, a hip-hop duo that she founded with her older sister Sandra Lawrence, aka Total S.”
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A close friend of Lawrence’s DJ Dave Pearce also took to his Instagram to confirm the sad news and share a tribute.
“Very sad to announce the passing of Samantha Lawrence aka TY Tim of pioneering 80’S UK HIP HOP pop duo Wee Papa Girl Rappers,” he wrote.
“Sam was part of a defining and ground breaking era of trailblazing British female rappers who against the odds conquered the UK charts alongside the likes of Cookie Crew.”
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“It was a really exciting time for me and always a pleasure to work with them on my Radio London Hip Hop Show back in the day their positive energy was infectious,” he continued.
“Through her success Sam will have inspired others to follow their dreams, I’m glad I had the chance to remind her of that recently.”
Pearce concluded the tribute sharing his commiserations for Lawrence’s sister Sandra and daughter KeeKee.
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Fellow musicians and fans of the late singer were quick to express their sadness at the news.
“That’s sad news Dave. RIP,” wrote Undercover band member John Matthews.
“Literally just singing Wee Papa Girl Rappers whilst washing up at the top of my lungs. Just popped onto Twitter to see what’s occuring! Wooooo RIP lady, thanks for the music,” one fan wrote.
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“Such sad news. Their music helped soundtrack my teens. RIP Samantha,” another wrote.
Lawrence and her sister were best known for their hit Wee Rule which reached number six on the UK singles chart in 1988.
The rap duo were a memorable part of a wave of female hip hop artists in the late 80s.
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The duo released two albums as Wee Papa Girl Rappers – The Beat, the Rhyme, the Noise in 1988 and Be Aware in 1990. They then split in 1991.
Before they went out on their own, they were backing singers for Northern Irish singer Feargal Sharkey.
Only recently the duo appeared in the 2023 three-part BBC documentary series First Ladies of Hip Hop.
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In the documentary, Lawrence explained that they were “born in Hammersmith, West London, brought up in South Ealing and had [their] teenage years in Acton.”
It was her older sister Sandra who encouraged the duo to pursue their music dreams.
“I said, ‘Come on, we can be bedroom rappers, we can do this’,” Sandra explained of an early conversation she had with Lawrence.
“I loved just rapping with my sister, because she was just amazing, amazing.”
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