Cassius Jay

Joshua Cross, better known by his production alias Cassius Jay, grew up in Decatur, Georgia, and built his reputation supplying booming trap beats to a wide array of Southern rap and R&B acts. As the son of a bishop, he first honed his skills inside the church, where he learned the keyboard and later served as music director. After several years spent on the road as keyboardist and music director for the-Dream, Cross shifted focus to studio production under the guidance of Don Vito, gaining crucial support from Zaytoven that soon blossomed into a close working partnership.

His initial high-profile placement arrived as co-producer on Justin Bieber’s “Fa La La,” which featured Boyz II Men. Additional placements followed for Lloyd with “All of Me” and for August Alsina, most notably “Right There.” These credits opened doors to larger projects, including cuts on Future’s chart-topping album DS2, Jeezy’s Top Five release Church in These Streets, and Migos’ number-one project C U L T U R E. During the same period Cross issued his own projects—All Eyes on Me in 2015, Prince of Trap in 2016, and Cold Summer later that year—each drawing on the network of artists he had already supported behind the scenes. He continues to participate actively in church life while directing his daughters’ gospel singing group.