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 from Los Angeles, California. He joined the independent music label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005.
Jay Rock released his first official song, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)", in 2008. It featured famous artists Lil Wayne and will.i.am. Later, he signed with Tech N9ne's label, Strange Music, in 2011.
His first album, Follow Me Home (2011), was released after many mixtapes. It included the popular song "Hood Gone Love It" with Kendrick Lamar. Jay Rock left Strange Music in 2014 and released his second album, 90059, in 2015.
His third album, Redemption (2018), was a big success. It reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 music chart. The main song from this album, "King's Dead", was also part of the Black Panther movie soundtrack. This song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance.
Besides his solo music, Jay Rock was also part of a hip hop group called Black Hippy. The group included other West Coast rappers like Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul.
Contents
Jay Rock's Early Life and Music Journey
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. As a young person, he went to Locke High School.
In 2005, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, the CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), discovered Jay Rock. He signed him to his label after hearing him rap. After joining TDE, Jay Rock released several mixtapes. These were shared in his neighborhood and online.
Starting His Career
With TDE's help, Jay Rock signed a recording deal with Asylum Records and then with Warner Bros. Records in 2007. At TDE, Jay Rock met Kendrick Lamar. They often toured together and appeared on each other's songs. Along with Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q, they formed the group Black Hippy.
Albums and Success
Follow Me Home Album
Jay Rock released his first official song, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)", in late 2008. It featured Lil Wayne and will.i.am. This song 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 came out in March 2010. His mixtape From the Hood to the Cover of XXL was released in July 2010. He also toured with 50 Cent on The Invitation Tour. Around this time, he left Warner Bros. because his album was delayed.
In late 2010, Jay Rock signed with the independent label Strange Music. 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", featuring Kendrick Lamar. His first album, Follow Me Home, was released on July 26, 2011. It sold well and was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto V.
In 2012, Jay Rock toured with Black Hippy and Stalley on BET's Music Matters Tour. In October 2012, Jay Rock was featured on Kendrick Lamar's album, good kid, m.A.A.d city. He was the only other Black Hippy member on the main album. Jay Rock's part on the song "Money Trees" was highly praised. He performed "Money Trees" with Lamar at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards.
90059 Album
In November 2013, Jay Rock announced that his second album would be released in 2014. He was nominated for Album of the Year for his work on Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city. After Ab-Soul's album came out in June 2014, TDE's CEO confirmed that Jay Rock would be the next artist from the label to release an album.
In September 2014, Tech N9ne shared that Jay Rock had left Strange Music and was now only signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. On October 29, 2014, Jay Rock 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 November 2014.
In February 2016, Jay Rock was in a motorcycle accident. According to reports, he recovered well, even though he had many broken bones.
Redemption Album
On January 12, 2018, Jay Rock released the song "King's Dead". It featured Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake. This song was the first single from his third album and was also on 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 "Win", the second song from his third album.
His third album, Redemption, was announced on May 21, 2018, and released on June 15, 2018.
At the 2019 Grammy Awards, "King's Dead" won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. "King's Dead" and "Win" were also nominated for Best Rap Song.
Awards and Nominations
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are important awards given each year to recognize great achievements in music.
| 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 |
Music Albums
Studio albums
- Follow Me Home (2011)
- 90059 (2015)
- Redemption (2018)
- Eastside Johnny (TBA)
See also
In Spanish: Jay Rock para niños
