Joshua Castillo

WRITTEN BY BIANCA NITTA MONTEIRO

PHOTO BY MITCHELL KIM

Joshua Castillo, or Cast, is a Dominican Bronx/Jersey-based creator. His work spans wide and is based deeply in his emotions and his ability to express them. As a performer, a rapper, a writer, and a filmmaker, Josh has surrendered himself to the act of expression, his creative attention grounded in his writing.

“I keep journals in shoe boxes dating from the past eight years of just stories, poems, raps, songs — everything,” he explains. “It’s not therapeutic. Most people will say that’s a way to get out your emotions, but it really isn’t therapeutic for me. It’s like I have to do it at this point. It’s like taking a shit. Or breathing. Or just brushing your teeth — writing, it’s just another thing I do.”

Josh, who first started using Cast when he was 15, uses the alter ego as one of many ways to channel his creative energy. Acting as his own opposite, he’s able to not only flex his creative muscles but indulge in variety of personalities that heighten his work’s impact. His process is erratic and often stems from words or rhymes that he suddenly finds catchy. With this little context, he dives into creating entire worlds for them. “Sometimes it’s just a word. I’ll fall in love with a word,” he reminiscences. As an artist, he explains, “We’re all addicts.”

Josh, who is also the chair of the arts committee within Baruch’s Undergraduate Student Government, dedicates himself to the artistic community on campus in order to voice their needs and work toward creating more artistic spaces. He explains that despite the college’s focus in business, the arts within Baruch thrive and grow bigger each year. “I do think there’s a Renaissance. It’s on it’s way, and it’s happening really quickly.”

Josh is a creator and student at Baruch College majoring in Marketing. His work can be found on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Music, and more.