Jay Wayne Jenkins, professionally known as Jeezy, is a renowned American rapper. He embarked on his music career in 2001, initially releasing music under the moniker Lil J with the album Thuggin' Under the Influence (T.U.I.). He later joined the rap group Boyz n da Hood in 2005, around the same time his solo major label debut Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 was released.
The lead single "Soul Survivor", featuring R&B singer Akon, became a top-ten hit in the United States. Jeezy's subsequent albums, The Inspiration (2006) and The Recession (2008),both yielded chart-topping singles. He has also been featured on numerous hip-hop and R&B hit singles, such as "Say I" by Christina Milian, "I'm So Paid" by Akon, "Hard" by Rihanna, and "Love in This Club" by Usher, which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2008.
Aside from his solo career, Jeezy is the de facto leader of the southern hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America (U.S.D.A) and is a former member of the Bad Boy Records' rap group Boyz n da Hood. He also co-founded the label imprint CTE World, formerly known as Corporate Thugz Entertainment, in 1998. Jeezy is often credited with helping to pioneer the hip hop sub-genre trap music, alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane.
