Jay Rock Arrested for Firearms Possession in Los Angeles

Jay Rock was arrested in Los Angeles yesterday, March 14, after police allegedly found a gun in his car.

The longtime TDE rapper — whose real name is Johnny Reed McKinzie — was arrested early Thursday evening in Nickerson Gardens, a public housing complex in Watts. Per NBC 4, the LAPD said they originally stopped McKinzie for trespassing and drinking in public. When McKinzie ran from his vehicle, police caught up with him and detained him

Later, a gun was allegedly found in McKinzie’s car, and he was booked on felony possession of a firearm. 

The LAPD did not immediately return a request for comment, nor did a rep for McKinzie. Jail records show McKinzie was booked Thursday, and as of publication Friday, it was not clear if he had posted bond and been released from custody or if he was still waiting to be arraigned (and if so, when the court hearing would be). 

Jay Rock was an early TDE signee, as well as a member of Black Hippy, the supergroup that also featured Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q. He released his debut solo album, Follow Me Home, in 2011 and has released two LPs since, 2015’s 90059 and 2018’s Redemption. In 2019, he won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance for “King’s Dead,” a collaboration with Lamar, Future, and James Blake that appeared on both Redemption and the Black Panther soundtrack album.

After that, Jay Rock was relatively quiet until 2023, when he released a string of singles, including “Too Fast (Pull Over)” with Anderson .Paak and Latto, “Blowfly” with Ab-Soul, and “Still That Way.” In January, Jay Rock returned with “Black Dynamite,” featuring 2 Eleven. In an Instagram post around that time, he appeared to tease the release of his next solo album, potentially titled Eastside Johnny. “ESJ ON THA WAY SOONER THEN YOU THINK,” he wrote.