Wacko from Juvenile’s UTP dies at age 52
Social media reports claim the New Orleans rapper and UTP member passed away August 28, but no official confirmation has been released by family, Juvenile, or the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office
Unconfirmed reports circulated widely on social media this afternoon (August 28) claiming that Damon “Wacko” Grison, the New Orleans rapper best known as a member of UTP and the voice behind the 2004 hit “Nolia Clap,” had died. The reports originated on Facebook and Instagram before spreading to X. However, no official confirmation has been issued by family members, label representatives, or the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office.
The most widely shared post, from the account @mymixtapez, stated that reports were circulating about Wacko’s passing but that details had not yet been confirmed. Other accounts repeated the cautious language. Young Buck reportedly commented “Get your rest bro” on an Instagram post. Meanwhile, DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia and bounce artist Big Freedia shared condolences. But no verified statement from Juvenile, Skip, or family members have surfaced.
A Facebook Post Drove the Story
The original report came from a Facebook post by a man named Troy M. Sims Sr. Sims. He wrote: “my guy passed away a couple hours ago right infront of me,” referring to the deceased as “Brief Case Gang Wacko.” He described a sequence beginning with chest pains, a 911 call, and a hospital visit.
Sims claimed that after about an hour the patient was still alert and talking, that staff then administered a shot of Thorazine (chlorpromazine), that a seizure followed within minutes, and that the patient flatlined about ten minutes later. Resuscitation efforts lasting about twenty minutes were unsuccessful. Sims expressed his opinion that the medication was inappropriate for a complaint of chest pain.
Those medical details exist only as one person’s social-media account. They have not been corroborated by hospital records, a medical examiner, or named clinical staff. The post has not been verified.
Who Is Wacko?
Wacko, born Damon Mentrell Grison, is a New Orleans rapper from the Magnolia Projects on the Uptown side of the city. He has described coming up around the same streets and crews as Juvenile, Soulja Slim, and Turk. In interviews, he has said he was released from prison on January 1, 2000, and linked with Juvenile shortly afterward.
Juvenile formed UTP (Uptown Project / UTP Playas) after departing Cash Money Records in the early 2000s. The early circle included Wacko, Skip (Clifford “Skip” Nicholas), Corey Cee, Soulja Slim, and, for a period, Young Buck. Soulja Slim was murdered in 2003. Young Buck left for G-Unit. The commercially visible core that recorded “Nolia Clap” was Juvenile, Wacko, and Skip.
The group signed with Rap-A-Lot and Asylum. Their debut LP, The Beginning of the End, was released May 18, 2004. The single “Nolia Clap” peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on Hot Rap Songs. UTP’s most active group years were during the 2002–2007 period.
The “Nolia Clap” Credit Dispute
In multiple interviews since 2020, Wacko stated that the original “Nolia Clap” record was his solo song. He said that the hook, verses, and concept were all his. In addition, he said that Juvenile and Skip were added for a remix that then became the version registered and promoted as the lead single. Skip, in a 2023 interview, described the original as Wacko’s solo record, said the remix was registered to Juvenile, and attributed the outcome to “bad paperwork” and publishing.
Wacko has said he walked away from UTP and from rap for a period after the business relationship soured, that he “ain’t never got the money,” and that he later returned to telling the story on independent YouTube channels. Those interviews continued into late 2024, October 2025, and as recently as April 23, 2026—four months before his death.
With Wacko gone, the question of credit and publishing for “Nolia Clap” will not be resolved by his continued public advocacy. But the interviews he left behind have already reframed the song as a disputed work whose commercial credit did not match its authorship. The record will remain a New Orleans anthem. The business questions will remain unanswered.
Hurricane Katrina and UTP’s Collapse
Skip has described a sharp drop from national television appearances in 2004 to FEMA lines after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. First, the storm caused the scattering of New Orleans’ population., However before that, the death of Soulja Slim two years earlier slowed progress. After that, there was Young Buck’s departure from the group that hurt UTP. Finally, the paperwork issues with Rap-A-Lot and Atlantic ended up being the final straw. According to Skip, those are the main reasons UTP did not continue as a major-label unit.
Skip has said he and Wacko later made another deal and recorded Back Like We Left Something, which was released in 2007. However, this release came without Juvenile as a featured front-line star. The album reached No. 52 on the Billboard R&B chart. After that, Skip said he returned to street life in New Orleans.
Wacko spent the mid-2020s doing long-form interviews about Magnolia, Soulja Slim, Juvenile, publishing, and prison. In those conversations, he continued telling the “Nolia Clap” origin story. In addition, he was seeking what he described as unpaid publishing and credit.
X Pays Tribute to Wacko
On X, reaction to the reports was immediate and song-centered. Users posted RIP messages alongside demands to play “Nolia Clap.” The hook became the tribute. “Y’all hear that Nolia clap,” one user wrote. “Gotta spin Nolia Clap one time,” said another. The song, more than any biography, identified who Wacko was and what he meant to New Orleans.
Some users reflected on what 2004 meant for the city. That year, New Orleans hip-hop felt like it was on top of the world. “Nolia Clap” was part of that moment, a call-and-response track that named neighborhoods and housing projects and turned them into a rallying cry. Famous Davis posted what he described as one of Wacko’s final interviews, framing it as a memorial clip. Local accounts tied the song to a pride that has never faded.
A smaller number of posts distinguished Wacko from Skip, reflecting long-standing public confusion about which UTP member was which. No verified post from Juvenile, Skip, or Young Buck appeared in the immediate aftermath. The silence from those closest to him was notable. But the fans spoke anyway, treating the news as settled and honoring Wacko through the only song most of them knew him by.
How the News Spread
Within hours, news of Wacko’s death spread across the internet.
Because Wacko was not a current charting solo star, there is no large publicist, label, or family office immediately issuing a statement. That leaves the vacuum filled by aggregators. Wacko’s death closes the trio that recorded “Nolia Clap,” leaving Juvenile as the sole surviving nationally famous member of the version of the group that achieved mainstream fame. The record will remain a New Orleans anthem. The business questions Wacko raised in his final years will remain unanswered.
New Orleans bounce and rap have a long public list of deaths that are often invoked when another name circulates: Soulja Slim in 2003, 5th Ward Weebie in 2020, and bounce dancer Willie Puckett Jr. in May of this year. Each loss renews attention on the city’s hip-hop history. Wacko’s name now joins that list.
Final Thoughts
Damon “Wacko” Grison never got his publishing. He never got the credit he believed he deserved for “Nolia Clap.” But he got something else: a city that knows his name, a generation that still claps when the beat drops, and a song that will outlive every business dispute and every headline.
The details of his final hours remain unconfirmed. The Facebook post that started the rumor may or may not be accurate. But the grief is real. The tributes are real. The silence from those who knew him best speaks volumes. Wacko was not a chart-topping solo star, but he was part of something bigger — a moment when New Orleans hip-hop stood at the center of the world.
“Nolia Clap” remains. And as long as it plays, Wacko’s voice will be heard.
