Best known for combining humor, hustle, and Michigan slang, transforming it into a globally recognized brand, YN Jay is a key figure in Detroit’s next generation of hip-hop masterminds – not to mention one of the most recognizable young voices to emerge out of the 313.

A young man from humble beginnings, YN wasn’t born in the spotlight, yet he was destined for it nonetheless.

A product of Beecher, a low-income city just outside Flint, Jay grew up in a chaotic household that led him to turn to music as an escape.

He began rapping when he was barely into his teenage years, recording tracks alongside his older brother, who would later go on to pass away.

The pain of that unbearable loss further fueled Jay’s drive to succeed, turning what was once just a hobby to pass the time into a form of therapy for him.

Realizing that rapping was his calling, Jay doubled down, recorded constantly, released music on regular intervals, and slowly began to find new and innovative ways to stand out in Detroit’s already crowded underground music scene.

What made people really stop scrolling and pay closer attention to YN Jay was one word: Coochie.

In 2020, YN Jay released “Coochie” featuring Louie Ray, and it exploded practically overnight.

The beat was unusual, the delivery even stranger, and the lyrics were pure comedy – and the internet couldn’t get enough of it.
Just like that, YN Jay became known as the “Coochie Man,” a viral meme and SoundCloud favorite.

Only, Jay wasn’t satisfied with letting his career end there.
Refusing to let the joke end, he kept releasing, with masterful mixtapes like “Coochie Land” and “Watch This” showcasing the fact that he wasn’t just a one-hit wonder…that he could build entire worlds off the back of punchlines and transform moments of ridiculousness into catchy bars that lingered.

He then continued to drop consistently, collaborating with artists like Lil Yachty, Sada Baby, and Icewear Vezzo as a way of controlling his image and maintaining his momentum.

A Flint native by birth, he’s part of a wider range of sounds that spans Detroit, Pontiac, Saginaw, and beyond.

As far as fellow new-generation Detroit artists that share his sound, his music fits in perfectly in the same universe as Rio Da Yung OG, Tee Grizzley, Babyface Ray, and Veeze.

Where others go stoic and intense, Jay focuses on coming across as absurd and animated, ushering in a new wave where off-kilter jokes, bounce, and viral quotability could carry just as much weight as complex street narratives.

YN Jay’s flow isn’t intended to be polished.

Quite the contrary, he tries to be as chaotic as possible – talking on the beat, running ahead of it, then eventually circling his way back.

He fills empty space with jokes, while he might be clowning one minute, he’s often confessing the next.

That unpredictability is the entire point.

His delivery comes across as though he’s thinking out loud in real-time – a storyteller disguised as a class clown.

In short:

YN Jay is proof that Michigan’s rap scene doesn’t need permission…only a mic, a plan, and a whole lot of audacity.

He’s not just the Coochie Man.

He’s Michigan’s internet hustler- funny, fast, and fully in control of the chaos he created.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 25, 2025