Jay Rock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jay Rock
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Jay Rock performing in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. |
| Born | March 31, 1985 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | West Coast hip hop |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
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Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1985), known as Jay Rock, is an American rapper and songwriter. He grew up in Los Angeles, California. Jay Rock signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005. This was an important step in his music career.
He released his first major song, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)", in 2008. It featured famous artists like Lil Wayne and will.i.am. Later, he joined Strange Music in 2011. His first album, Follow Me Home, came out in 2011. It included the song "Hood Gone Love It" with Kendrick Lamar.
Jay Rock's second album, 90059, was released in 2015. His third album, Redemption, came out in 2018. This album was very popular and reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart. The song "King's Dead" from this album, featuring Kendrick Lamar and Future, won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 2019.
Besides his solo work, Jay Rock was also part of a hip hop group called Black Hippy. The group included his friends and fellow TDE artists Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul.
Contents
Jay Rock's Early Life and Career
Growing Up in Los Angeles
Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. was born on March 31, 1985. He grew up in Watts, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. Specifically, he lived in the Nickerson Gardens housing area. He went to Locke High School.
In 2005, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who is the CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), discovered Jay Rock. He signed Jay Rock to his record label after hearing his music.
Starting His Music Journey
After joining TDE, Jay Rock released many mixtapes. These were shared in his neighborhood and online. With TDE's help, he signed deals with other record labels like Asylum Records and Warner Bros. Records in 2007.
At TDE, Jay Rock met Kendrick Lamar. They often toured together and worked on each other's songs. Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolboy Q later formed the group Black Hippy.
Releasing His First Albums
Follow Me Home Album
Jay Rock released his first official song, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)", in late 2008. This song featured famous artists Lil Wayne and will.i.am. It was even offered as a free download on iTunes in 2009.
In 2010, XXL magazine featured Jay Rock as one of their "Top 10 Freshmen" artists. MTV also named him one of the breakthrough MCs of 2010.
Jay Rock's mixtape Tales From the Hood 2 was released in March 2010. Another mixtape, From the Hood to the Cover of XXL, came out in July 2010. He also toured with 50 Cent.
He later signed with Strange Music in 2010. He then toured with artists like Tech N9ne and Kendrick Lamar. His mixtape Black Friday was released in December 2010.
On June 21, 2011, Jay Rock released his second song, "Hood Gone Love It", with Kendrick Lamar. His first album, Follow Me Home, was released on July 26, 2011. It sold over 5,000 copies in its first week. The song "Hood Gone Love It" was later used in the video game Grand Theft Auto V.
Collaborations and 90059
In 2012, Jay Rock toured with the Black Hippy group. He also appeared on Kendrick Lamar's album, good kid, m.A.A.d city. Jay Rock was featured on the song "Money Trees", and his part in the song was highly praised. He performed "Money Trees" with Lamar at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards.
In November 2013, Jay Rock announced that his second album would be released in 2014. He was also nominated for Album of the Year for his work on Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city.
In September 2014, it was shared that Jay Rock was now only signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. On October 29, 2014, he released a song called "Pay for It". It featured Kendrick Lamar and Chantal Kreviazuk. He performed this song on Saturday Night Live with Kendrick Lamar.
In February 2016, Jay Rock was in a motorcycle accident. He recovered well, even though he had some broken bones.
Recent Success with Redemption
Redemption Album and Grammy Win
On January 12, 2018, Jay Rock released the song "King's Dead". This song featured Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake. It was a lead song for his third album and also part of the Black Panther: The Album soundtrack. "King's Dead" was Jay Rock's first song to appear on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
On May 16, 2018, he released another song called "Win". This was the second song from his third album.
His third album, Redemption, was announced on May 21, 2018. It was released on June 15, 2018.
At the 2019 Grammy Awards, "King's Dead" and "Win" both received nominations. In February 2019, Jay Rock won his first Grammy Award for "King's Dead". This was a big achievement in his career.
Awards and Nominations
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are important awards given each year for great achievements in the music industry.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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| 2014 | "good kid, m.A.A.d. city" (as featured artist) | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2019 | "King's Dead" | Best Rap Performance | Won | |
| Best Rap Song | Nominated | |||
| "Win" | Nominated |
Discography
Studio albums
- Follow Me Home (2011)
- 90059 (2015)
- Redemption (2018)
- Eastside Johnny (TBA)
Images for kids
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Jay Rock in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Jay Rock para niños
