He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality, and observational comedy.

[1] After years working as a stand-up comedian and appearing in minor film roles including Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Rock gained prominence as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993.

Rock continued making specials which include Bigger & Blacker (1999), Never Scared (2004), Kill the Messenger (2008), Tamborine (2018), and Selective Outrage (2023).

Rock was cast in starring film roles in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Dogma (1999), The Longest Yard (2005), the Madagascar franchise (2005–2012), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), Grown Ups (2010), Death at a Funeral (2010), Top Five (2014), The Week Of (2018), Spiral (2021), Amsterdam (2022), and Rustin (2023).

[3] His mother, Rosalie (née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker for people with developmental disabilities; his father, Julius Rock, was a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman.

[11] Rock's great-great-grandfather, Julius Caesar Tingman, was enslaved for 21 years before serving in the American Civil War as part of the United States Colored Troops, then later was elected to two terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

[19] Rock rose up the ranks of the comedy circuit in addition to earning bit roles in the film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) and the TV series Miami Vice.

He and other new cast members Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade became known as the Bad Boys of SNL.

[9][20][21] In 1991, he released his first comedy album, Born Suspect and won acclaim for his role as a crack addict in the film New Jack City.

[23][24] Beginning that fall, he appeared in six episodes of the predominantly African American sketch show In Living Color as a special guest star.

Rock's fifth HBO special, Kill the Messenger, premiered on September 27, 2008, and won him another Emmy for outstanding writing for a variety or music program.

The film starred an ensemble cast with actors such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Alan Rickman, Salma Hayek, and George Carlin.

The film starred Peter Dinklage, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Kevin Hart, Zoe Saldana, and Luke Wilson.

"[43] Rock also starred in the summer comedy Grown Ups (2010) alongside Adam Sandler, Kevin James, David Spade and Maya Rudolph, and reunited with them for a sequel in 2013.

In 2011, Rock appeared on Broadway in Stephen Adly Guirgis' play The Motherfucker with the Hat[44] with Bobby Cannavale and Annabella Sciorra.

"[47] In 2014, Rock scripted, directed and starred in the film Top Five, which critics have drawn comparison to Woody Allen's Stardust Memories (1980).

Scott Foundas, critic for Variety praised the film writing: "Rock has finally found a big-screen vehicle for himself that comes close to capturing the electric wit, shrewd social observations and deeply autobiographical vein of his standup comedy.

"[49] In Rolling Stone magazine, Peter Travers wrote in his review: "Rock delivers the laughs, big ones, laced with razor-sharp observations on everything from pop culture to racial politics... His confident, prowling wit as a stand-up has finally found its way to the screen, enhanced by a bracing vulnerability.

"[50] In 2015 Rock attended the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special on NBC where he introduced and paid tribute to fellow comedian and former SNL cast member Eddie Murphy.

In the film, Murphy portrayed Rudy Ray Moore and centers around his career as a standup, and director of blaxploitation starting with Dolemite (1975).

In 2020, Rock portrayed central character Loy Cannon in the fourth season of the FX crime anthology series Fargo.

In 2023, it was announced that Rock would direct a biopic on civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with Steven Spielberg producing.

The decision to have Rock host the awards was seen by some as a chance to bring an "edge" to the ceremony, and to make it more relevant or appealing to younger audiences.

Subsequently, an angry Sean Penn took the stage to present and said, "In answer to our host's question, Jude Law is one of our finest young actors."

Los Angeles Times critic Mary McNamara wrote: "Rock's Oscars had some of the most powerful moments seen in the telecast's history.

[79] Rock's subject matter typically involves family, politics, romance, music, celebrities, and race relations in the United States.

"[81] Often the subject of tabloids, when asked about paparazzi and the other negative aspects of fame, Rock says he accepts the bad with the good: "You can't be happy that fire cooks your food and be mad it burns your fingertips.

Rock's comedy influences are Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Pigmeat Markham, Woody Allen, Bill Maher, Eddie Murphy,[95] Sam Kinison, George Carlin, Mort Sahl,[34] and Rodney Dangerfield.

[96] Comedians who have cited Rock as an influence include Dave Chappelle,[34] Christian Finnegan,[97] George Lopez,[98] Kevin Hart,[99] and Trevor Noah.

[101] Compton-Rock is the founder and executive director of StyleWorks, a non-profit, full-service hair salon that provides free services for women leaving welfare and entering the workforce.