Cash Cobain

Cash Cobain, the New York rapper and producer also known as Cashmere Small, originated the lighthearted, melody-driven offshoot of drill music called sexy drill. Drawing from Jersey club rap and contemporary R&B, his productions emphasize lush, summery textures paired with lightly punchy kick drums rather than icy trap beats, while his lyrics remain playful, clever, and sexual instead of violent or confrontational. Although he issued early material in the mid-2010s, both his profile and the broader sexy drill movement surged in 2022 with the release of the collaborative project 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy alongside Chow Lee. By 2024 he had contributed to tracks by mainstream artists including Drake, Lil Yachty, and J. Cole, and his own singles such as “Fisherrr” and “Rump Punch” had drawn widespread notice.

Born in the Bronx and later based in Queens, Small learned to make beats on music software as a child, frequently sampling tracks encountered in everyday settings. His first mixtapes, beginning with the 2016 release Cobain, centered on melodic trap, shifting toward a brighter and more buoyant tone on efforts such as 2018’s Flee Cobain with Flee. Regular work with rappers including 2219 Lee, Matthew Ali, and Sliick helped define the emerging style, which crystallized on the club-friendly 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy. The 2023 projects Slizzy Day and Pretty Girls Love Slizzy followed, along with further collaborations with Lil Yachty and a co-production credit on Drake’s For All the Dogs. In 2024 he appeared on or issued several charting singles: the Bay Swag track “Fisherrr” received a remix featuring Ice Spice, “Dunk Contest” gained a J. Cole verse and was retitled “Grippy,” and he guested on A Boogie wit da Hoodie’s “Body” plus Don Toliver’s “Attitude” that also included Charlie Wilson; “Rump Punch” arrived in June.