We solve a leading order QCD kinetic theory with light quarks and gluon degrees of freedom to study the non-equilibrium dynamics of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). By including both elastic and inelastic scatterings for quarks and gluon, the model is proficient to describe kinetic and chemical equilibration of the QGP, and thus connects the initial (semi-) hard production of partons at early times with the hydrodynamic description of a near-thermalized quark-gluon plasma after the first fm/c of the collision. Within this approach, we investigate the time scales and mechanisms for kinetic and chemical equilibration of the QGP at zero and non-zero net-baryon density, and elaborate on the connections to jet quenching physics and hydrodynamics.