Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1985), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper from Watts, California. Rock signed to the independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005. In 2007, alongside TDE, Rock secured a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records and later Asylum Records, but mergers fell through and Rock ended up leaving the label shortly after. He then signed with Tech N9ne's Strange Music, in a joint-venture record deal. 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 2019, Jay Rock received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance for "King's Dead".
Since 2006, Rock has released several mixtapes and first becoming known for his 2008 commercial debut single, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)" (featuring Lil Wayne and will.i.am). In 2011, after signing his joint-venture deal with Strange Music, Rock's often-delayed and long-awaited debut studio album, 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" (featuring Kendrick Lamar). His second studio album 90059 was released in September 2015. It was supported by the singles "Money Trees Deuce" (featuring Lance Skiiiwalker), "Gumbo" and the title track. In June 2018, Rock released his third studio album Redemption. All three albums have achieved critical and commercial success.