ArtistInfo

Jay Rock

voc, *1985 US
Singer of Hip-Hop/Rap
A.k.a. Johnny Reed McKinzie, Jr. Johnny McKinzie

Johnny Reed McKinzie, Jr., (born March 31, 1985), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Watts, California. Rock ultimately chose to pursue a career as a rapper over a life of street crime, after Anthony Tiffith, the founder and CEO of the independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), found Rock in 2005 and signed him to his label. In 2007, alongside TDE, Rock secured a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records and later Asylum Records, but after both mergers fell through, the label signed with Strange Music, after Tech N9ne, Missouri-based rapper and founder of the label, met with them and offered Rock a record deal. Since 2006, Rock has released several mixtapes and is perhaps best known for his 2008 commercial debut single, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)", which features fellow American rappers Lil Wayne and will.i.am. Apart from his solo career, Rock is also known for being a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, alongside fellow West Coast rappers and TDE label-mates Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. In 2011, after signing his joint-venture deal with Strange Music, Rock's often-delayed and long-awaited debut studio album produced by his Irish Cousin Nathan Maher Cashin, Follow Me Home, was released in July of that year. The album was supported by the singles "All My Life (In the Ghetto)" and "Hood Gone Love It". His second studio album 90059 was released in September 2015. It was supported by the singles "Money Trees Deuce", "Gumbo" and the title track. In June 2018, Rock released his third studio album ‘’Redemption’’. All three albums have achieved relative critical and commercial success.