Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), better known by his stage name Young Jeezy or simply Jeezy, is an American hip hop recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. He is the de facto leader of Southern hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America (USDA) and a former member of Boyz n da Hood as well as the Black Mafia Family (BMF). He embarked on his career in 2001, under an independent label and 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 featured R&B singer Akon, became a top-ten hit in the US.
Jeezy's second album The Inspiration, followed in 2006, and his third The Recession, followed in 2008; both albums yielded chart-topping singles. Jeezy has also appeared on numerous other hip hop and R&B 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 becoming a number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100, in 2008. To date, he has received four Grammy nominations.