5th Ward Weebie

An artist at the heart of New Orleans' Bounce movement, rapper 5th Ward Weebie is also known as the Bounce King and earned that title by combining old-school beats with modern rhymes. Born Jerome Cosey, Weebie launched his career in Bounce around 1997 as a backup dancer for Cheeky Blakk. Two years later he launched his rap career with the 1999 Mobo Records album Show the World, then a year later he landed on Kane & Abel's hit "Shake It Like a Dog." In 2001 he signed with Kane & Abel's imprint Most Wanted Empire and released his sophomore effort, Ghetto Platinum, but the label's name was sadly prophetic, and as MWE's CEOs were brought down on charges of laundering drug money, Weebie was left without a label. It didn't take long to find a new home as Take It to the Hole, his third album and second of the year, landed in 2001 on South Coast Music. In 2002 he joined the legendary Master P on his single "Rock It," while 2006 saw him launch his Bounce King Status series of mixtapes. In 2012 he joined DJ Blaqbiggyblaq on his Blaqbiggyblaq, Vol. 20 mixtape, which spawned the hit "Let Me Find Out." The track was released as a single in 2013. ~ David Jeffries