They say there’s no success without failure, and that there is no testimony without a test.But, how can one have the strength to stand after all of the knockdowns they’ve had? It’s much easier to give up than to keep pressing forward. For Cincinnati hip-hop native, Jay Read, he found himself at many of these daunting crossroads, but refused to succumb to its calamity. Julian “Jay Read” Daniel is proof that you don’t have to be a product of your environment. Many of Read’s lessons were taught by the streets of Cincinnati. Those harsh lessons landed him in incarceration with a Robbery/Burglary charge in 2002. While serving his 10-year sentence, through his meditation, he discovered his love for music – particularly rapping. The time spent incarcerated also allowed him to perfect his craft and by the time of his 2006 parole release, he armed himself with an arsenal of rhymes and relocated to New York. It’s safe to say that Jay had perfected his bars while behind bars. Upon release, he decided to creatively utilize a freestyle that he recorded over the phone and uploaded it to MySpace, in hopes to expand his network. A short time later, Jay caught the attention of a Syracuse producer by the name of Mazaroddi who was CEO of local label, “Crime Street Records”. During Mazaroddi’s meeting with Jay, he recognized his pain, hunger and authenticity in his flow and invited him to become a part of the Crime Street family. In 2008, yet another legal battle faced Jay. As a result, he was transported back to the Midwest. Upon his release the second time, he had all but given up on rap. A year later, upon a near death accident, Jay decided to take charge of his life and began recording again. After recording several tracks with Cliq’n Ent. In Kentucky, he established himself in Youngstown, OH. Finally in 2013, an old friend convinced Jay to blow the dust off his rhyme book one more time. Linking up with several producers in the area and a local engineer, he created his latest work, “3D: The Mixtape (Dedication, Determination, Discipline)” which was released in February 2015. Jay Read shows no sign of slowing down. Though his life has been full of turmoil and unfortunate circumstances, he continues to press toward the mark of perfection and success.