Johnny Reed McKinzie, Jr. (born March 31, 1986), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper from Watts, Los Angeles, California. Growing up in Watts, known for its low income, gang infested and drug infested streets, Rock ultimately chose to take rapping over street life after Anthony Tiffith, CEO of independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment, found Rock in 2005 and signed him to his label after hearing a verse of his. Rock, alongside Top Dawg, worked with Warner Bros. and later Asylum Records, but after both mergers fell through, the label linked up with Strange Music, after Tech N9ne, rapper and founder of the label met with them.
Rock is a member of hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, alongside his label-mates and fellow West Coast rappers Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. In 2011, after signing his joint-venture deal with Strange Music, Rock released his often-delayed and long-awaited debut studio album Follow Me Home. The album was preceded by the singles "All My Life (In the Ghetto)" and "Hood Gone Love It".
Read more about Jay Rock: Discography
Famous quotes containing the words jay and/or rock:
“People who love soft methods and hate iniquity forget this,—that reform consists in taking a bone from a dog. Philosophy will not do it.”
—John Jay Chapman (1862–1933)
“each rock a word
a creek-washed stone
Granite: ingrained
with torment of fire and weight”
—Gary Snyder (b. 1930)