Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream audiences. Jenkins began his career in 2001, releasing two independent albums until signing with Def Jam Recordings to release his major label debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (2005). His second and third albums, Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration (2006) and The Recession (2008) were met with continued success as both peaked the Billboard 200; the latter earned Jenkins his first Grammy Award nomination for its lead single, "Put On" (featuring Kanye West). Along with his solo career, Jenkins 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 group Boyz n da Hood. His record label, CTE World was formed in 2001 and has signed artists including YG and Freddie Gibbs.