TDE rapper Jay Rock was arrested in his hometown, Watts, Los Angeles, on Thursday evening by LAPD officers and charged with gun possession, according to local news. The report says Jay (whose real name is Johnny Reed McKinzie) was arrested for trespassing and drinking in public after running from officers. When they checked the vehicle he fled from, they found a firearm.
Jay Rock hasn’t released an album since 2018’s Redemption, but he has been teasing a new project called East Side Johnny for the past couple of years, releasing the singles “Eastside” and “Too Fast,” which featured Anderson .Paak and Latto. The delay in releasing the project comes as little surprise; Top Dawg Entertainment has developed a reputation for taking its time in developing artists, whose albums have had as much as five years between them.
It’s proven to be a winning strategy in the past; in addition to rappers like Isaiah Rashad and Ab-Soul experiencing well-received comebacks, the anticipation for projects from Doechii and SZA have led to tremendous breakout successes for the two women. SZA’s most recent album, SOS, arrived five years after her debut CTRL, and spent weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200; its heavily anticipated deluxe edition similarly debuted at the top of the chart early this year. While Doechii’s mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal hasn’t reached those heights, it did earn her a Best Rap Album Grammy, proving that the best results are achieved with the aid of time.
Neither Jay Rock nor TDE reps have commented on the arrest, but don’t be surprised if the label takes the opportunity to change the narrative with a new music announcement.