Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), better known by his stage name Jeezy (formerly Young Jeezy), is an American rapper and an influential figure in southern hip hop .[2][3][4] Along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, Jeezy is credited for helping to pioneer and popularize trap music with a mainstream audience.[5]

Outside of 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 a former member of the Bad Boy Records' rap group, Boyz n da Hood.

Jeezy began his music career in 2001, as Lil J, with the release of Thuggin' Under the Influence (T.U.I.). He later joined Boyz n da Hood in 2005, the same year his solo major label debut Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, was released. Its lead single "Soul Survivor", which features R&B singer Akon, became a top-ten hit in the US. His subsequent albums, The Inspiration (2006) and The Recession (2008), both yielded chart-topping singles as well. Jeezy 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, the latter of which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, in 2008
Jay Wayne Jenkins was born on September 28, 1977 in Columbia, South Carolina. When he was a toddler, Jenkins relocated to Atlanta, Georgia where he lived with different family members, as a result of his parents separating.[1][6][7] In an interview with XXL magazine, he described his childhood as "empty".

In 1994, Jeezy spent nine months in YCA (Youth Challenge Academy), a boot camp in Fort Stewart, Georgia, for narcotics possession.[8] Four years later, in 1998, Jeezy launched the label imprint CTE World, then known as Corporate Thugz Entertainment.

In 2001, under the name Lil J, Young Jeezy released his first independent album, Thuggin' Under the Influence (T.U.I.),.[9] The album included features from artists Freddy J., Kinky B, Fidank, and Lil Jon, who also produced some of the songs. In 2003, Jeezy independently released Come Shop wit Me, a two-CD set featuring new tracks along with some songs previously released on T.U.I. In 2004, Jeezy signed with Bad Boy Records and joined the group Boyz n da Hood, whose self-titled album was released in June 2005 and peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

In May 2004, Jazze Pha's manager, Henry 'Noonie' Lee, showed Jeezy's demo to his friend Shakir Stewart, then Vice President Artist and Repertoire (VP A&R) at Def Jam.[10] Stewart "fell in love with it [the demo] the first time [he] heard it" and took it to L.A. Reid.[10] Reid recognized Jeezy's talent and gave Stewart the green light to sign him.[10] However, due to Jeezy's rising popularity, other record labels began pursuing him simultaneously to sign with them, most notably, Warner and Interscope. Ultimately, Jeezy decided he wanted to be in business with Stewart and Reid and signed with Def Jam Records as a result.[10]

Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (2005)
Jeezy released his major label debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, on July 26, 2005. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, selling 172,000 copies in its first week and was later certified Platinum by the RIAA.[11] The debut single off his debut album, "And Then What" featured Mannie Fresh and reached #67 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single off the album, "Soul Survivor" featuring Akon, reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and would become Jeezy's highest-charting single of his career. The third single, "My Hood", reached #77 on the Billboard Hot 100. In an interview with HitQuarters, A&R Shakir Stewart said that Jeezy had recorded over 60 songs for the album.[10]

In interviews and on several records, Jeezy has affirmed his resistance to commercialism in his music.[12] According to Jeezy, maintaining his street credibility, is of the utmost concern to him as an artist.[8] In 2005, Jeezy was featured in several popular hip hop songs including Gucci Mane's "Icy"[13] and Boyz n da Hood's "Dem Boyz". Although, he would later leave the group after having successfully established himself as a solo artist
In 2006, Jeezy was featured in Christina Milian's single "Say I". Later that year, on December 12, he released his second major label album, The Inspiration. It topped the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 352,000 copies and would go on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album's first single "I Luv It" peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the second single, "Go Getta" featuring R. Kelly, peaked at #18.

Jeezy also extended himself into gaming, portraying himself in the 3D hip-hop fighting game Def Jam: Icon, released in March 2007. Also in 2007, Jeezy's group U.S.D.A (alongside Blood Raw and Slick Pulla) released their debut album, Cold Summer. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 95,000 copies in its first week.