Exactly how does a kid from one of the largest housing projects in America turn into a touring rap artist with amazing promise and future? Listen to Jay Rock tell it in the start of an exclusive series of videos from Strange Music: The Road To Home: On Tour With Jay Rock.

Jay Rock tells of his early childhood and formative years that would foreshadow to an eventual life on stage and in the recording booth:

“Basically man I grew up in the projects: Nickerson Gardens. I was a stay-young cat running wild in the projects, just like any project kid–having fun. Had my good days, my bad days, or ugly days, but I always had a thing for music…”

Jay Rock explains that around the age of 18-19, he would record with his friends who were then trying to hustle mixtapes. At the time, rapping was all in good fun and not taken too seriously, but almost immediately his gift was noticed and Jay realized that he was more talented than he thought.

Out of everything that Jay was able to flex with his rhyming skills, one thing stood out to his peers the most:

“One thing they loved about it was my voice. ‘Hey man, you got the voice for it.’ You should really pursue this!”

Even after these words of encouragement, Jay Rock treated the idea of rhyming as a profession with skepticism and doubt. What got him to turn around? Watch below and find out.

WATCH

Stay tuned for more webisodes of The Road To Home: On Tour With Jay Rock coming soon.

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