Rapper Jay Rock Arrested In Los Angeles For Felony Gun Posession
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty
The last 12 months have been a banner year of creativity for indie rap juggernaut Top Dawg Entertainment, but this week, one of its most respected artists has a new set of legal troubles.
According to a report by NBCLA, the LAPD confirmed that the rapper Jay Rock was arrested for possession of a firearm on Thursday night.
Reports differ regarding the conditions for Jay Rock’s (real name Johnny Reed McKinzie) initial interaction with police. NBCLA reports that LAPD apprehended Jay Rock, 39, around 6 p.m. for trespassing and drinking in public in Nickerson Gardens, the housing projects that he grew up in. While reports are consistent that Jay Rock attempted to flee from his vehicle, ABC7 reports that police say he only tried to run away after police refused to reveal why they were detaining him. After detaining him, police say that they found a gun in his vehicle.
He was booked on suspicion of felony weapons violation, according to ABC7. Jay Rock hasn’t made any public comments in the hours following the arrest.
Source: Gilbert Flores / Getty
Jay Rock is recognized as the first member of Top Dawg Entertainment to sign a major record deal, landing a deal with Warner Bros. before TDE made stars out of acts like Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Schoolboy Q. He appeared alongside Kendrick on Black Panther soundtrack highlight “King’s Dead,” which won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. He hasn’t released a solo album since his 2018 record Redemption, but he’s whetted fans’ appetites for Eastside Johnny, an album expected to see its release in 2025.
Fans of Jay Rock saw him perform with Kendrick Lamar at The Pop-Out: Ken and Friends concert in Los Angeles last year. He also appeared at TDE’s annual Christmas Concert and Toy Drive, a two-day event dedicated to giving back to Nickerson Gardens. Lamar is no longer signed to TDE, but on a song called “heart pt. 6” from his latest album GNX, he poignantly recounted memories of long recording sessions with Jay Rock and being moved by seeing his friend getting his record deal. “Was excited just to go to them label meetings / Wasn’t my record deal, but still, I couldn’t believe it,” he rapped. “…It was simple math: if he made it, that mean I made it.”
Details around the arrest sound murky. Why was he accused of “trespassing” in the neighborhood that he grew up in? Is drinking in public a legitimate charge here? Why would police refuse to tell him why he was being detained, much less admit to the press that they didn’t do so?
Either way, the LAPD has a storied history of harassing Black people. In 2021, Nipsey Hussle’s brother said that the LAPD targeted and harassed the rapper’s street corner and Marathon Clothing store before his murder in 2019. And just days before Jay Rock’s arrest, the Los Angeles Times reported a complaint filed by an officer in its recruiting department who secretly recorded conversations with other officers making “racist and derogatory comments against Black police applicants, female colleagues, and lesbian and gay co-workers.”
NewsOne will continue to share updates as details become available.
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