Jay Critch

Born Jason Cole Critchlow in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood, Jay Critch crafts a rap grounded in East Coast hip-hop and trap, characterized by direct lyrics, a smooth, melodic flow, and productions that are often spare, dark, or airy. Raised in a family with Trinidadian and Guyanese roots, Jay Critch began to attract attention in the mid-2010s, first with the 2015 track "Man Down" alongside Rowdy Rebel, and then online from 2016 when "Did It Again" spread widely and caught the ear of Rich the Kid, who signed him to Rich Forever Music. This period places him within a New York scene undergoing reconfiguration, between street rap, sung hooks, and internet-born formats. Jay Critch later appears on Rich Forever 3 in 2017 with Rich the Kid and Famous Dex, before releasing his first solo mixtape Hood Favorite in 2018. He followed with Rich Forever 4 (2019), Signed with Love (2020), Critch Tape (2021) and Jugg Season (2023), while expanding his collaborations with artists such as Lil Tjay, Fivio Foreign, Harry Fraud and AJ Tracey.