Jay Rock has ramped up anticipation for his next album with a new song snippet which finds him drawing inspiration from 2Pac.
The TDE rapper took to social media this week to share a video of himself playing an unreleased track in the studio.
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On the record, he namedrops 2Pac and Bishop, his character from the 1992 movie Juice, while also referencing “Heartz of Men” from ‘Pac’s 1996 album All Eyez on Me.
Jay Rock also takes cues from the late rap legend by reflecting on street life and gang rivalries while urging listeners to rise above that lifestyle.
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“Why we gotta die a legend like 2Pac?/ .38 special like Bishop, get your crew shot,” he raps.
“Ain’t no telling how it started, we all know/ Somebody tried to throw a punch, now they dearly departed/ It’s been 30-something years and they still beefing?/ Hit different when that bad blood be the reason.”
Jay Rock released a string of singles throughout 2023, including “Eastside” with Kal Banx, “Too Fast (Pull Over)” featuring Anderson .Paak and Latto, the Ab-Soul-assisted “Blowfly” and “Still That Way.”
Speaking to Bootleg Kev in June 2023, the Watts, California native described his new album as “great” and explained the five-year wait.
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“The new album is great, man,” he said. “Everybody’s like, ‘Man what’s taking so long? It’s been five years!’
“All the fans been beating me up and stuff on Instagram but it’s just about trying to make good quality music. Like I said, I’m tryna do an album like my last one where you ain’t gotta skip shit. No skips.”
He added: “I’m just tryna do an album like that and, you know. People know who I am, man. It’s Jay Rock. I could rap circles around a lot of people but, you know.”
Jay Rock’s last album Redemption was released in 2018 with features from Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Future, SZA and Jeremih, among others.
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The project debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart with around 31,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
It also earned Jay his first Grammy as “King’s Dead” won Best Rap Performance. The track was also nominated for Best Rap Song alongside fellow album cut “Win.”
