Jay Rock

Watts-raised rapper and Black Hippy member known for his debut Follow Me Home and Grammy-winning track King's Dead.

Jay Rock is an American rapper born Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. on March 31, 1985, raised in the Nickerson Gardens projects of Watts, Los Angeles. He signed with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) around 2003 or 2004 after CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith heard a verse of his on a mixtape. A member of the now-defunct supergroup Black Hippy alongside Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul, Rock released his debut studio album, Follow Me Home, on July 26, 2011, through Strange Music and distributed by TDE. His third album, Redemption (2018), peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, with its lead single "King's Dead" winning Best Rap Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr.

Born

31 March 1985

Birthplace

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Occupations

Rapper, songwriter

Genre

West Coast hip-hop

Years active

2006–present

Label

Top Dawg
Interscope
Asylum
Warner Bros.
Strange

Past member of

Black Hippy

Lore & Background

Jay Rock's journey began in the Nickerson Gardens projects of Watts, where he grew up with an older brother named Steven Turner. As a youth, he became a member of the Bounty Hunter Bloods street gang and attended Locke High School, facing two jail stints due to anti-gang injunctions. Around 2003 or 2004, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith discovered Rock after hearing a verse on a mixtape, signing him to TDE. Early on, he released several mixtapes for TDE and secured a distribution deal with Asylum Records in 2007. However, those mergers fell through, leading Rock to sign with Tech N9ne's Strange Music in a 2011 deal, with TDE distributing the album. This era produced his debut album Follow Me Home (2011), supported by singles like "All My Life (In the Ghetto)" and "Hood Gone Love It," which appeared in Grand Theft Auto V on the in-game radio station Radio Los Santos and in a trailer for the game.

Reader's Guide

To understand Jay Rock, one must track his specific label movements and collaborative milestones. He started with TDE in 2005, moved to a failed joint venture with Warner Bros/Asylum, then partnered with Strange Music from 2011 to 2014 before returning to an exclusive TDE deal. His discography includes three studio albums: Follow Me Home (2011), 90059 (2015), and Redemption (2018). Key collaborations include "Money Trees" on Kendrick Lamar's major-label debut and the Grammy-winning "King's Dead" from the Black Panther soundtrack, which also featured Future and James Blake. Rock was named one of MTV's 2010 breakthrough MCs and appeared in XXL's Top 10 Freshmen issue that same year. His 2014 appearance on Saturday Night Live with Kendrick Lamar performing "Pay for It" highlighted his growing mainstream presence. Fans should note the exact dates of his mixtapes like Tales From the Hood 2 (March 28, 2010) and Black Friday (December 7, 2010), as well as his upcoming album Eastside Johnny.

Did You Know?

His single "Hood Gone Love It" is featured on the Radio Los Santos station in Grand Theft Auto V and was used in a trailer for the game, but not specifically Franklin's character trailer.
Rock survived a motorcycle accident in February 2016 that left him with many broken bones but he recovered successfully after surgery.
In March 2025, Rock was arrested for felony firearm possession in the Nickerson Gardens projects where he grew up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What group was he part of with Kendrick Lamar?

Jay Rock was a member of the Black Hippy supergroup alongside Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. This collective helped define the sound of TDE during its peak years.

When did he sign with Top Dawg Entertainment?

He joined the label in 2005 after CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith heard a verse from him. This partnership launched his career within the family of artists.

What is Jay Rock's current career status?

He remains an active solo artist who continues to represent the Watts community through his music. Jay Rock maintains strong ties to TDE even though Black Hippy is now defunct.