Jay Cass

My name's Jonathan "Jay Cass" Casanova, born and raised in Long Island New York.  I'm a producer and rapper. I love music with all my heart.  I've been exposed to music when I was very young, being that my father and older brother were both musicians, I was bound to pick it up at some point.  I started out making beats on fruity loops and then I went on to write rhymes to them.  I decided to start recording myself and it wasn't until I turned 16 that I decided to take it seriously, releasing my first mixtape ever.  The ideas were there but the execution was trash; I had a lot to learn. It became pivotal point in my life where I realized that I liked doing music and I was good at it too.  I’ve made a great deal of music in the time in-between, spent countless hours honing my craft, and have had a lot of time to reflect on things in the process of it all.  Music helped me with heartbreak, a few deaths from close friends and family, accepting failure, and getting through depression.  My desire to be a better artist and to stand out helped me with growing up in a lot of ways.  It has inspired me to stop being a house hermit and to get out an experience things and meet people.  I couldn't begin to describe to you the things I've experienced from music. 

A couple years ago, someone had asked me "what's your image?" I didn't exactly know how to respond to that question, and I still don't.  My "image" is supposed to be my selling point and what I present to my audiences around the world.  But I can't be anyone else other then myself.  I see other people try to be someone they're not just for a few likes on instagram or few retweets on twitter.  I see other artists do a lot of persuading to make people realize that "they're the best".  I'd rather be the person I most naturally can be and let my music and persona speak for itself.  I'd rather make music that I want to listen to then to make music everyone else wants to listen to.  Fuck a marketing ploy or a gimmick.  I am what I am. 

- Jay