10 Essential Jay Rock Tracks

Los Angeles-based Jay Rock signed to Top Dawg Entertainment in 2007, long before "Money Trees" were providing Grammy-nominated types of shade. The rapper, real name Johnny Reed McKinzie, Jr. was born in 1986 and started rapping in 2005, releasing a bunch of mixtapes and what not. Along with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock counts himself as a part of the group Black Hippy, a highly acclaimed 'group' in modern hip-hop (if UOENO already). 

The MC hasn't scored an obscene amount of mainstream acclaim, his biggest record was probably his 2011 single with Lil Wayne. Since then, Jay Rock has laid slightly low, popping up occasional to murk a feature or deliver a new single along with a music video.

We're sure it's all for good reason though, and we think Jay Rock is going to release a super-hot album next year. But before that, let's get better acquainted. 

The opening vocal sequence is a little melodramatic, but strong verses from Jay Rock and Kendrick make this an essential cut. It's also one of the most recent singles we've heard from the MC, so definitely a worthy addition to your Jay Rock catalogue, new and old fans alike.

Jay Rock ran with what could be deemed as a generic move by putting Lil Wayne on his first single "All My Life." However the Cool & Dre produced track is anything but mindless hip-hop. This is a solid track, and arguably Jay Rock's most popular.

"I was on the block right, wasn't in my right mind
Just a young nigga, hustling, trying to get mines"

Despite sounding just like Jeezy on the hook, this Justice League beat is perfect for Jay and Kendrick. The music video shows you around South Central LA where these guys came up, and since it was shot years ago it shows a younger and hungrier duo.

Jay Rock goes g-funk on "Parental Advisory," and we are not mad at it at all. This is an old school cut that would make teenage Ice Cube go wild. You already know what to expect in the video: South Central gangster steeze. It's also another recent cut from the hardened MC, letting us know the direction he'll be taking in the coming year.

Jay Rock and his Black Hippy peers absolutely bodied this sexy beat. They definitely set the bar higher with this remix than Rocko, Ross and Future could do with the original. The remix blew up across the internet right in time for Schoolboy Q's Oxymoron hype, and brought even more acclaim to Black Hippy.

The Black Hippy cut off Follow Me Home was a smooth cut. Kendrick's flow in 2011 is nowhere near as intense as it is now, so this acts as a relic for one of hip-hop's best current MCs. Oh, but the other dudes come correct on the joint too, just check it out.

It's hard to mess up a track with Pharrell on production, but that doesn't mean Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock went soft on the beat. Both of these dudes came correct on the Oxymoron collab.

The big summer hit of 2013 was thank largely in part to the term "ya bish," but it was also thanks to a killer song written by Kendrick and Jay Rock. The smooth beat compliments the airy flow of Kendrick before Jay Rock nails his verse. 

YOLA, not YOLO. Jay Rock gets gritty on this ambient beat, scoring big with this one. The song is a couple years old, but still sounds fresh.

Jay Rock and Ab-Soul linked up on "No Joke" in 2010, giving an early peak in to the groundbreaking hip-hop TDE would start to put out. Nearing 2015, Top Dawg is one of the highly acclaimed hip-hop crews running. This is a throwback, but we know they'll have a ton of great music coming out soon!