Jay Rock was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday evening (March 13).
According to police records obtained by ABC 7, the rapper, born Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr., was arrested for possession of a firearm in the 13000 block of E. 115th Street in Watts.
The arrest was unexpected for the Grammy winner, as he was originally stopped for trespassing in the Nickerson Gardens. According to LAPD, Jay Rock tried to flee his vehicle when officers did not disclose to him why he was being detained. He was booked on suspicion of felony weapons violation and has not addressed the incident yet.
The talented 39-year-old rapper has called Top Dawg Entertainment home for nearly two decades. With the help of the California-based label, he landed a deal with Warner Bros., but left the major label by the end of 2010. He deepened his TDE ties as a member of Black Hippy, a group made up of his cohorts Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul.
In 2011, he released his debut project Follow Me Home and followed that up with 90059 in 2015. Shortly after that, he was involved in a life-altering motorcycle crash. He made a full recovery and released his 2018 album Redemption, which included songs about his second chance at life.
Redemption wound up being an immense commercial success, kicked off by its lead single “King’s Dead” featuring K. Dot, Future, and James Blake. Co-produced by Mike Will Made It and Teddy Walton, the track also landed on Black Panther: The Album and won Best Rap Performance at the Grammys the following year. Fans are reportedly expecting an upcoming project, tentatively titled Eastside Johnny, sometime soon.
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