Samantha Lawrence, one-half of the U.K. hip-hop duo Wee Papa Girl Rappers, has died. She was 55.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, DJ Dave Pearce, who worked with Wee Papa Girl Rappers, confirmed the news that Samantha had died two days prior on Instagram.
“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. (Together with her sister Sandra they were best known for the 1988 top ten hit ‘Wee Rule’). 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 – 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 wrote.
Pearce, 61, added: “Always keen to experiment they fused dancehall and reggae with ‘Wee Rule’ and stepped into the House arena courtesy of Kevin Saunderson’s remix of ‘Heat It Up’ . 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 – Thoughts with her sister Sandra and daughter KeeKee. Rest In Peace x #weepapagirlrappers.”
Samantha’s sister Sandra also confirmed the news in a statement to The Independent.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that beloved sister and mother Samantha Lawrence passed away on Sunday,” she said of her sister with whom she founded the group.
Sandra revealed that Samantha died peacefully in London after a secondary cancer diagnosis this year.
“Samantha, aka TY Tim, was known for her chart success with Wee Papa Girl Rappers, a hip-hop pop duo that she founded with her older sister Sandra Lawrence, aka Total S.”
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Samantha and Sandra began their careers singing backup for Feargal Sharkey before signing with Jive Records. With in the U.K. hip-hop scene, they found brief success and had a hit with their 1988 single “Wee Rule”, which reached No. 6 in the UK singles chart.
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According to the BBC via The Independent, they sang on theme song for “Jim’ll Fix It”, but disbanded in 1991 after their second album, Jive, Be Aware.
In 2023, the Lawrence sisters appeared in the three-part BBC documentary series, First Ladies of Hip-Hop, which was narrated by Neneh Cherry and also featured Eve, So Solid Crew’s Lisa Maffia and more.
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