New Orleans bounce rapper 5th Ward Weebie dies aged 42 from post-surgery complications
New Orleans is in mourning tonight after the news emerged that one of the city's favorite musical sons, Jerome Cosey, aka the bounce rapper 5th Ward Weebie, had passed away due to kidney and lung complications that set in following surgery for a ruptured artery. The artiste was 42 years old and tributes have been pouring in on social media to celebrate his life and impact on the New Orleans community.
Weebie's longtime friend Ptown Moe took to social media to break down what went wrong. "He was hospitalized because he had high blood pressure and was never taking medicine for that. That eventually caused his artery to rupture and took his legs away from him. When he reached the hospital, the surgeries went well. But with that kind of surgeries, other parts can go wrong.”
An emotional Moe continued to explain his friend's debilitating medical condition, "His kidneys went, and they had him on a machine to get them back working, but then his lungs went. He passed away. I don’t what sign that is for us – why God wanted him at this time, but my brother is gone, man."
Other famous names in New Orleans have issued heartfelt tributes to one of the city's most popular rappers. “It broke my heart to learn that Jerome Cosey -- our 5th Ward Weebie -- has passed," said a statement issued by the mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell on Twitter. The mayor's tweet also name-dropped one of his well-known songs, showing that she was a genuine fan -- "Let me find out you didn't know who he was. He was an iconic personality, a New Orleans legend, and a beloved friend."
Cantrell continued to pay homage to Cosey's legacy in another post. "He was the Bounce King, who showed us how to move, how to love, and how to bring passion and humanity to everything we do. New Orleans has lost a cornerstone of our culture. Our city will not be the same without his voice and his spirit. May he rest in God's perfect peace."
Jerome Cosey grew up playing drums in the marching band at school and later became a fixture with his local dance crew the Street Fighters. He honed his silky moves by dancing at talent shows and with plenty of local rappers before deciding to throw his hat into the rap ring himself. His iconic charisma and flow were an instantaneous hit with fans, and he never looked back. He went on to release his debut album, 'Show the World' in 1999 and his 2000 album 'Ghetto Platinum' was on Kane & Abel’s Most Wanted Empire imprint.
The rapper was best known for his smash hits 'Let Me Find Out' and 'F*** Katrina' (which featured on the HBO show 'Treme') and even successfully collaborated with big names like Lil Wayne on 'Bend It Ova' (2009) and Partners-N-Crime on their song 'So Attracted' (2009). He also made a guest appearance on the rapper Drake’s massively popular track 'Nice for What' in 2018. 5th Ward Weebie was a loving, generous, shining star in the New Orleans music and cultural scene and his presence will be sorely missed.