Jay Rock, a Grammy Award-winning rapper from Los Angeles, has been arrested the Los Angeles police officers.
The 39-year-old artist, born Johnny Reed McKinzie, was stopped by LAPD officers around 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, according to local news station ABC7.
Police said the rapper was trespassing and drinking in public at the Nickerson Gardens housing complex in Watts. The LAPD told NBC4 Los Angeles McKinzie attempted to leave his car after officers refused to explain to him why he was stopped.
According to the LAPD, a firearm was left behind in the vehicle. After searching the car, officers took McKinzie into custody.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate information portal said he was booked at 8:17 p.m. in the LAPD Southeast Division on suspicion of a felony weapons violation. No bail amount was listed on the website.
Jay Rock is best known for his work with Top Dawg Entertainment. In 2019, he won a best rap song Grammy Award for “King’s Dead,” which featured Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake. The single was included on Black Panther: The Album.
Later that year, the L.A. native received the key to his hometown of Watts during a ceremony at Nickerson Gardens, where he grew up. The city declared it “Jay Rock Day” in recognition of his contributions to the community.
Jay Rock signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2005. In addition to his solo career, he was a member of the hip-hop supergroup Black Hippy, which included fellow West Coast rappers Kendrick, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul.
Though the group never released an official album, its members frequently collaborate and often appeare on each other’s solo projects. His last album in 2018, Redemption, followed his full recovery from a life-changing motorcycle crash.
A rep for the rapper did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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