Top Dawg’s Underdog: On Jay Rock’s rise to the top

UPDATED: Monday, June 25 at 7:01 a.m.

June has been a hot month for the hip-hop world — it’s easy to get lost in the madness of it all and lose focus on the music itself. For lesser-known artists, it’s especially hard to stand out amongst mainstream counterparts. But for Top Dawg Entertainment rapper, Jay Rock, this hasn’t proved to be a challenge.

Jay Rock released his third studio album under his label TDE last week. The album, “Redemption,” includes 13 tracks with features from Jeremih, J. Cole and Future, as well as label mates Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

The album is a breakthrough. “Redemption” is a quest of self-exploration and triumph following difficult times. After experiencing a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2016, Rock uses a storytelling approach to overcome his struggles and reclaim his spot as TDE’s first signee.

Being on a record label featuring big names, it’s easy to let yourself overlook Jay Rock’s artistry. I’m not going to act like I knew who Jay Rock was beforehand, because I didn’t know he existed until I heard his verse on the Black Panther soundtrack hit, “King’s Dead” (also on “Redemption”).

He begins his storytelling theme perfectly with the first track, “The Bloodiest.” Through raw bars and an aggressive sound, Rock is able to recount his struggles growing up, his near-death experience and his ultimate second chance at life.

“ES Tales” and “Rotation 112th” are the more hard-hitting songs on the album, capturing the happenings and struggles endured in the Nickerson Garden projects in Watts, California, where Jay Rock grew up. In “ES Tales,” he raps: “Big shots, hardcore drugs / Everything crooked, what you thought this was?”

“OSOM” with J. Cole and “Wow Freestyle” with Kendrick Lamar are more retrospective. In “OSOM,” Rock reflects on the sudden change of pace he experienced after getting signed: “I just got signed, everybody on my line / They wanna know the taxes / Do Rock got a mansion?” In “Wow Freestyle,” Rock reminisces on old times and the early stages of TDE when it was just him and Lamar on the label, referring to Lamar as K. Dot, which was his previous stage name: “Ayy K. Dot / Can we get it how we used to get it / Like when Top had the red charger?”

“Knock It Off” and “Troopers” are the lighter-sounding, summer bumps that we could probably all use right now. “Troopers” is especially perfect for riding around town in a car full of your homies with all the windows down or top off — if applicable.

“Tap Out” with Jeremih seems to be out-of-left-field compared to the content of the other songs due to its sexually charged nature. Although out of place, it seems to be a fan-favorite, considering its starred rating on Apple Music and catchy hook.

I almost felt like I was living vicariously through Jay Rock throughout the album, with “Redemption” being the finish line. Not to mention my girl SZA’s mellow vocals for the chorus, it made the feeling that much more real. Whether intentional or not, Jay Rock’s delivery has a way of helping me empathize with him in his raps, something I don’t feel often when listening to music.

It wasn’t until Jay Rock’s spotlight on the Black Panther soundtrack that I decided to dive deeper and learn more about him as a person and an artist. After watching several interviews and seeing him perform live at the TDE Championship Tour in Camden, NJ, it opened my eyes to his realness and talents and I knew that this was an artist that I could support. There is no doubt that Jay Rock is making his mark and is grabbing the attention that he deserved in the past.

Cydney Lee is a junior psychology major. Her music column appears biweekly in Pulp. You can email her at cmlee100@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @cydneylee_.