Cash Short seems like the average senior at Osbourn High School. He takes journalism, theatre arts 2, and many other classes. But what a lot of students don’t know is that he’s also an artist, under the stage name Cash Presto.

Cash makes a variety of music, including hip hop, rap, and R&B. And few know that he’s been doing this since he was only three years old! “My dad used to rap a little bit when he was younger. And, you know, since he was doing it, he wanted his kids to rap too. So he would put beats on and stuff,” said Cash. When asked what inspired him to do music as a hobby, he responded “Honestly, it was just that I have really strict parents, and having someone that has so much control over your freedom, it makes you want more freedom. There are only a few jobs where you have that.”

Cash is also inspired by other artists. “My favorite artist is Lil Wayne because it’s inspirational how he’s 40 years old and still has the same skill. He’s following his passion and ambition. He’s really a staple in rap and a lot of people look up to him.”

You may be wondering, where did the name Cash Presto come from? “It’s actually a really weird story. So, I had a few different artist names, and my dad gave me one when I was younger, but I thought it was stupid. It was Young Presto. But I didn’t like the ‘Young’ part, so I replaced it with another dream, cash,” responded Cash.

The future has a lot of potential for Cash. “I’m currently making a full album called The King’s First Statue. It’s referencing when you make a statue for a king. And imagine he’s not an idol, but he still has a statue. And then people will look back at that and be like, woah, he was good even back then,” said Cash. He added, “My ideal journey is to be able to perform all around the world, where everyone knows my name, and go to different countries.” And he won’t limit himself to the genres that he currently performs. “To show my versatility… I can get into any kind of music.”

Just like any other artist (and student), Cash has other hobbies besides making music. “I like to eat, I enjoy eating food. Also, I like taking in interesting storylines, not just watching stuff, but listening to audiobooks.”

As Cash continues to grow as an artist, his mix of creativity and talent seems to be promising steps for him. With a full album on the way, life has a lot in store for him. Who knows? One day, you might find him rising to fame, and you’ll be able to say, “Hey! I went to school with that guy.”

If you’re interested in listening to his music, it’s on multiple platforms, under “Cash Presto”, including Spotify, Pandora, TIDAL, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. Cash currently has 6 released songs and around 80 unreleased songs as of October 23, 2024. 

“I feel like I’m a combination of Lil Wayne’s sound when he raps and Kendrick Lamar’s versatility. He can switch his voice around on tracks. He changes the pitch, and if he starts rapping deeper, it’s for a reason. If a person is more into mainstream music, listen to Shooting Star or Run That Back. If they’re into lyricism, listen to What’s Funny. It’s more of a Westside Boogie type of feel. But when my next song comes out, Climb to Grace, it will be my greatest release so far. I just want to reach people with ambition. If you have feelings as a person, I have music for you. If you’re feeling sad, I have music for you. If you’re feeling cocky, I have music for you. Music is an ambition. If you want to reach a goal, my music is for you.”

Have you listened to some of Cash Presto’s music? Do you have questions about his musical journey? Tell us what you think in the comments?