Arkansas Rapper Coca-Kazi was reportedly found dead following a stand-off with North Little Rock Police during which one officer fired his weapon.
According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, NLRPD arrived at a residence on the 4700 block of North Locust Street in North Little Rock around 2:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday (January 18), after receiving a call of a disturbance. Upon arriving on site, authorities were advised that the suspect in the situation was armed.
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In a press release following the incident, the police department stated that they were able to “quickly locate” the victim and helped them exit the home. The suspect then proceeded to fire shots from inside the home and began to exit while aiming a gun at the officers.
A single North Little Rock Police officer then fired at the suspect who went back inside.
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The department’s Special Operations Unit and Crisis Negotiation Team was called in to assist and, after setting up a perimeter around the scene, attempted to make contact with the suspect. Once those efforts proved unsuccessful, a SWAT team entered the home, where they discovered the suspect’s body.
While NLRPD has yet to release the suspect’s name, HipHopSince1987 has connected Coca-Kazi to the incident, pointing to a cryptic Facebook Live post shared to the rapper’s page around 2:48 a.m. local time on the same day.
The 39-second clip opens in a darkened room, with light coming in through a window at one point, before the person filming turns on a light, revealing a large item blocking the door from within. The person filming, presumably Coca-Kazi, turns the light back off, then asks, “What you say now?” before stopping the live feed.
A Twitter user identifying himself as the rapper’s cousin seemingly confirmed that Coca-Kazi (real name Joseph Seriale Smith) had indeed died, in a post shared to the site on Thursday (January 19). “Lost another cousin today,” the individual wrote. “That’s 2 in less than 7 days. This shit brazy. Damn @cocakazi [broken heart emoji].”
An Instagram profile linked to Coca-Kazi’s label, Hunnafied Records, also appeared to confirm the artist’s death, with a tribute post captioned: “We all gonna miss u and remember u as one of ours #FAMILY @cocakazi [various emojis] rest well champion.”
The North Little Rock Police Department stated that they were not immediately able to tell if the suspect in Wednesday’s stand off died of a self-inflicted wound, or as a result of gunfire coming from the officer who shot at the man when he exited the home.
The police officer in question has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas and raised in nearby Camden, Coca-Kazi began pursuing his career at the age of 15, thanks to his older brother who saw promise in the young artist and his rap group, K.O.D. In 2006, Kazi relocated to Atlanta where he eventually signed a production deal with Grammy Award winning producer Wonder Arillo.
After running into some legal trouble, Coca-Kazi was released from his contract. While incarcerated, he connected with indie label Hunnafied Records, who facilitated collaborations with French Montana‘s Coke Boys crew upon Kazi’s release (via Exposed Vocals).
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His most recent full-length project, a mixtape titled Human Shield Vol. 1, was released in March 2022. Coca-Kazi had released three new singles in the weeks ahead of his untimely death.
HipHopDX extends its condolences to Coca-Kazi’s loved ones.
