Jaylien Arthur-Henry Cantrell (born September 23, 1999), known professionally as YN Jay, is an American rapper. After releasing his debut mixtape ''MVP'' in 2019, his song "Coochie" went viral on social media in 2020. His first two studio albums, ''Ninja Warrior'' and ''Coochie Chronicles'', were released in 2021 through

Alamo Records Todd Moscowitz is a music industry executive. He is currently the founder and CEO of Alamo Records and the manager of Gucci Mane. Previously, Moscowitz co-founded 300 Entertainment, served as a co-president and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and ...

Early life

Jay was raised in

Beecher, Michigan Beecher (or also, Beecher Metropolitan District) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,232 as of the 2010 census, down from 12,793 at the 2000 census. The CDP area is situated ...

, and had one older brother, Gabe, who inspired Jay to start rapping at age 10. As a teenager, he recorded eight to 10 songs a day, and started rapping as a career after his brother died.

Career

In November 2019, he released his debut mixtape ''MVP''. He released the single "Coochie" with Louie Ray in April 2020, which went viral on YouTube and other social media platforms. He released the single "Gotta Get Rich" in July 2020. His mixtapes ''Coochie Land'' and ''Watch This'' were released in 2020, in August and September, respectively. His single "Blind 'Em" with Lil Yachty was released in September 2020, and his single "Doonie Van" was released in October 2020. Jay released his debut studio album, ''Ninja Warrior'', in January 2021 through

. He released the single "Big Hoes" featuring Lil Pump in March 2021, and was featured on Lil Yachty's song "Flintana" from his mixtape '' Michigan Boy Boat'' in April 2021. His song "Triple S" went viral on TikTok, and a remix of the song featuring Coi Leray was released in June 2021. Jay was featured on Mace Supreme's song "Jumanji" that same month. His second studio album, ''Coochie Chronicles'', was released in July 2021. He released the single "Lamar" in November 2021.

Artistry

Jay's music has been described as hip hop and

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. Alphonse Pierre of '' Pitchfork'' wrote, "YN Jay endlessly recycles his own lyrics and big brr somehow keeps coming up with something new." Neena Rouhani of ''

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'' called Jay a "Detroit favorite", while ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

''s Eli Enis called Jay one of "the most prolific voices from Michigan's fertile rap scene". In 2021, '' XXL'' included the music video for "Coochie" on their list of the funniest hip-hop music videos of the prior five years. Jay refers to himself as the "Coochie Man".

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jay, YN 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers Living people Rappers from Michigan Sony Music artists Trap musicians Year of birth missing (living people) 1999 births