Five Things To Know About Jay Rock
Jay Rock dropped his FIRE album ‘Redemption,’ featuring collabs with Sza, Kendrick Lamar & more in 2018. The TDE rapper is heading to New Zealand in March for the first time. Here are five things to know about Jay Rock!
1. Jay Rock Was A Member Of The Bounty Hunter Bloods Street Gang.
Jay Rock, born Johnny Reed McKinzie, Jr. in 1985, lived in the Nickerson Garden Projects in Los Angeles, CA, and as a kid, became a member of the Bounty Hunter Bloods. At that time, he was jailed on two separate occasions.
In 2005, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith of Top Dawg Entertainment found Jay and signed him to his label, convincing him to choose a career as a rapper over a life of crime.
2. Jay Rock Was The First From Top Dawg Entertainment To Sign A Major Record Label Contract.
Jay signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007, but the deal went sour and derailed his plans with the label. This led him to briefly fall out of the spotlight, but he continued to release mixtapes, and his first album in 2011 Follow Me Home.
3. Jay Rock Has Had Four Grammy Nominations.
In 2013, Jay received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year as a featured artist on good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar. With the 61st Annual Grammy Awards only a few weeks ago, Jay has been nominated for :
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
King's Dead
BEST RAP SONG
King's Dead
BEST RAP SONG
Win
UPDATED: Jay Rock won Best Rap Performance for King's Dead.
4. In February 2016, Jay Rock Was In A Terrible Motorcycle Accident, Breaking Several Bones.
According to Billboard, Jay recovered from his injuries well after undergoing a few surgeries. He revealed in an in-depth interview that he broke his leg and cracked his pelvis in the crash.
5. Jay Rock’s Hit Single ‘King’s Dead’ Was Featured On The ‘Black Panther’ Soundtrack.
Produced by Mike Will Made It and Teddy Walton, “King’s Dead’ by Jay features Kendrick, Future and James Blake. It was released as a single from the Black Panther soundtrack and Jay’s first single from Redemption.
Catch Jay Rock perform live in New Zealand this March. Tour details from HERE.