Young Jeezy

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Jay Jenkins, known as Young Jeezy and later as Jeezy, was born in 1977 in Columbia, South Carolina, and grew up in Georgia. He began making records in 2001 under the name Lil J and first released two independent albums, Thuggin' Under the Influence in 2001 and Come Shop wit Me in 2003. In 2004 he signed with Bad Boy Records and became a member of the group Boyz n da Hood. He founded his label CTE World in 1998, at first under a different name. Later he signed with Def Jam.

Music and breakthrough

His Def Jam debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, was released in July 2005 and reached number two on the Billboard 200. From the album came Soul Survivor with Akon, which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and is so far his highest chart position. The Inspiration from 2006 and The Recession from 2008 both topped the album chart. From The Recession, Put On, with Kanye West, was nominated for a Grammy. He was also heard as a guest, including on Usher's Love in This Club.

Influence

Together with T.I. and Gucci Mane, Jeezy is counted among those who brought trap, a hip hop style from Georgia with heavy bass and blaring synthesizers, to a wide audience. He emphasised street credibility and motivational lyrics about rising up, and his voice, low and hoarse, became a trademark.

Listening

• 
  Soul Survivor · Young Jeezy, 2005
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 2001Thuggin Under the Influence
• 2003Come Shop Wit' Me
• 2005Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101
• 2006The Inspiration
• 2008The Recession
• 2011TM:103: Hustlerz Ambition
• 2014Seen It All: The Autobiography
• 2015Church in These Streets
• 2016iAmTrap
• 2016Trap or Die 3
• 2017Pressure
• 2019TM104: The Legend of the Snowman
• 2020The Recession 2
• 2023I Might Forgive... But I Don't Forget
• 2025Still Snowin’

Mentioned in other articles

• Trap GenreT.I., Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane were the first names.

See also

• Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101
• Trap