Jay Rock | |
|---|---|
 Jay Rock performing in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (1985-03-31)March 31, 1985 (age 40)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1] |
| Genres | West Coast hip-hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2006–present[2] |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | Black Hippy |
| Website | jayrock |
| Signature | |
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Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1985), better known by his stage nameJay Rock, is an American rapper. Born and raised inSouthern California, Rock signed with theCarson-based independent labelTop Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005.[2] He secured amajor label joint venture deal withWarner Bros. Records andAsylum Records to release his 2008 debut single, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)" (featuringLil Wayne andwill.i.am). Failing to chart, the mergers fell through and Rock departed from both of the latter labels shortly after. He then signed with Missouri rapperTech N9ne's labelStrange Music in ajoint venture deal with TDE in 2011.[3]
Preceded by ten mixtapes for TDE, Rock's long-delayed debut studio album,Follow Me Home (2011), was released to moderate commercial reception and critical praise. It was supported by the aforementioned single, as well as "Hood Gone Love It" (featuringKendrick Lamar). He departed Strange Music in 2014 and released his second album,90059 (2015) the following year. He once more signed a joint venture withInterscope Records to release his third albumRedemption (2018), which was met with critical acclaim and peaked at number 13 on theBillboard 200. Its lead single, "King's Dead" (with Kendrick Lamar,Future, andJames Blake), was shared with theBlack Panther soundtrack, peaked at number 21 on theBillboard Hot 100 and wonBest Rap Performance at the61st Annual Grammy Awards.
Apart from his solo career, Jay Rock is also known as a member of the now-defunct hip hop supergroupBlack Hippy, alongside fellowWest Coast rappers and TDE labelmates Kendrick Lamar,Schoolboy Q, andAb-Soul.
Jay Rock was born Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. on March 31, 1985.[1] Rock was raised inWatts, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California,[1] in theNickerson Gardensprojects. His cousin was late rapperEarl Swavey.[4] As a youth, he became a member of theBounty Hunter Bloods street gang and attendedLocke High School.[5] During this time, he was jailed on two occasions, due to the area's anti-gang injunction.[6] In 2005, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith,chief executive officer (CEO) of independent record labelTop Dawg Entertainment (TDE), discovered Rock and signed him to his label, after hearing averse of his. After signing to TDE, Rock released severalmixtapes throughout his neighborhood and via the internet. With the help of TDE, Rock was able to secure a recording contract withAsylum Records and later a joint venture deal withWarner Bros. Records, in 2007.[6][7] At TDE, Jay Rock met fellow labelmateKendrick Lamar, and the two would go on multiple tours together, honing their craft. The two often feature on each other's records, and along withAb-Soul andScHoolboy Q would form the supergroup Black Hippy.
Rock released his commercial debut single, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)" in late 2008, featuring fellow American recording artistsLil Wayne andwill.i.am. The single was promoted as one of "iTunes's Free Downloads" in early 2009. In 2010, Rock was featured on the cover ofXXL's annual Top 10 Freshmen issue.[8] He was also named byMTV one of 2010's breakthrough MCs.[9] Jay Rock was featured onOmarion's song "Hoodie" and was supposed to be featured onFlo Rida's third studio albumOnly One Flo but was left off the final track listing.[10]
Rock's mixtapeTales From the Hood 2 went to iTunes on March 28, 2010, and his mixtapeFrom the Hood to the Cover of XXL was released to iTunes on July 24, 2010.[11][12] He also toured with50 Cent, and other rappers onThe Invitation Tour. Around the same time he left Warner Bros. due to them delaying his album.[13] Jay Rock then signed with indie record labelStrange Music in the Fall of 2010, on a multi-album deal after leaving from Warner Bros.[14] Jay Rock then went on tour withTech N9ne,E-40,Glasses Malone,Kutt Calhoun andKendrick Lamar on the "Independent Grind National Tour".[15] His mixtapeBlack Friday, was released December 7, 2010, to iTunes.[16]
On June 21, 2011, Rock released his second single, "Hood Gone Love It", featuringKendrick Lamar.[17] His debut albumFollow Me Home was released on July 26, 2011, under independent record labels Strange Music and Top Dawg.[14][18] The album debuted at #83 on theBillboard 200, selling 5,300 copies in its first week.[19] "Hood Gone Love It" was featured in the character trailer for Franklin, a main protagonist in the video-gameGrand Theft Auto V. The song is also featured in the in-game radio stationRadio Los Santos.
During 2012, Rock toured with the rest of Black Hippy and MMG artistStalley, onBET's Music Matters Tour.[20] In October 2012, Rock's appearance on Kendrick Lamar's major-label debut,good kid, m.A.A.d city, was highly significant as he was the only other rapper from Black Hippy, to be featured on the standard edition of the album. Rock is featured on the song "Money Trees", for which hisverse was highly acclaimed.[21] He would later perform "Money Trees", with Lamar, at the2013 BET Hip Hop Awards, along with appearing in the TDE Cypher.XXL named his verse the fourth best of the night.[22]
In November 2013, Rock toldPower 105 that his second studio album would be released in 2014.[23] With the release of the56th Annual Grammy Awards nominations, it was revealed Rock was nominated forAlbum of the Year as a featured artist for participating on Kendrick Lamar'sgood kid, m.A.A.d city.[24] After the release of label-mateAb-Soul's albumThese Days... in June 2014, TDE's CEO confirmed that Jay Rock would be the next artist from the label to release an album.[25]
In September 2014,Tech N9ne revealed that Rock had left hisStrange Music imprint and is now only signed to Top Dawg Entertainment.[26][27] On October 29, 2014, Jay Rock released a song titled "Pay for It", featuring Kendrick Lamar andChantal Kreviazuk, as a promotional single.[28] On November 15, 2014, Rock appeared onNBC late-night live television sketch comedy and variety showSaturday Night Live, alongside the musical guest Lamar, where they performed "Pay For It".[29][30]
On February 15, 2016, Jay Rock was involved in a harsh motorcycle accident according toTop Dawg Entertainment's CEO Anthony Tiffith.[31] According to Complex, he recovered very well, however he had a lot of broken bones.[32] He was in surgery and successfully came out of it.[32]
On January 12, 2018, Jay Rock released the single "King's Dead" withKendrick Lamar,Future andJames Blake. The song was produced byMike Will Made It andTeddy Walton serving as the lead single to his third studio album and as a single from the soundtrackBlack Panther: The Album.[33] "King's Dead" became Jay Rock's first song to chart on theUSBillboard Hot 100.[34] On May 16, 2018, he released the single "Win", which served as the second single from his third studio album.[35]
After teasing a 2018 release in January, the album, titledRedemption, was announced on May 21, 2018, alongside the cover art and its release date, which was released on June 15, 2018.[36][37]
At the2019 Grammy Awards, both "King's Dead" and "Win" received nominations in theBest Rap Performance andBest Rap Song categories, respectively.[38] In February 2019, Rock won his first Grammy award for "King's Dead".[39]
In March 2025, Rock was arrested on suspicion of illegal firearm possession.[40]
TheGrammy Awards are annual awards presented byThe Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-languagemusic industry.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "good kid, m.A.A.d. city"(as featured artist) | Album of the Year | Nominated | [41] |
| 2019 | "King's Dead" | Best Rap Performance | Won | [42] |
| Best Rap Song | Nominated | |||
| "Win" | Nominated |
Studio albums
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| People | |
