Houston rapper Cashout Ace, whose real name is Miguel Guajardo, has emerged from the brink of death to share a chilling account of his near-death experience following a brutal drive-by shooting. The incident, which took place on December 30, 2019, during a music video shoot, left him with gunshot wounds to the head and arm, a bullet lodged perilously close to his brain, and a journey through what he describes as a surreal, dreamlike realm.
His story, recently revealed in a gripping interview shared on platforms like WorldStarHipHop around May 18, 2025, offers a profound glimpse into the intersection of personal trauma and artistic expression.
The fateful evening of December 30, 2019, was meant to be a milestone in Cashout Ace’s burgeoning rap career. Instead, it became a scene of chaos and tragedy. As the music video shoot unfolded in Houston, a drive-by shooting erupted, claiming two lives and leaving several others injured. Among the wounded was 20-year-old Cashout Ace, who was struck by bullets in both his head and arm.
According to reports from FOX 26 Houston, the young artist was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, with a bullet lodged in his head. His father expressed uncertainty about whether he could resume his music career, stating,
“The bullet is still in his head.”
Yet, Guajardo’s spirit has shone through. Social media posts by his mentor, Doughboy Sauce, showed him joking with visitors from his hospital bed, prompting Doughboy to write,
“Lil homie @cashoutace_ got a beautiful soul and nothing”.
In the immediate aftermath, Cashout Ace’s condition was precarious. Reports from AllHipHop indicated that he had suffered brain damage and was unable to speak, facing a long and uncertain road to recovery. His mother, bewildered by the violence, expressed confusion over why her son might have been targeted, underscoring the senseless nature of the attack.
Years after the shooting, Cashout Ace has finally opened up about the otherworldly experience he endured while teetering on the edge of life and death. In his recent interview, the rapper recounted a vivid and haunting vision that unfolded as he lost consciousness.
“When I went black,” he recalled, “I saw a red door. It was the only thing I could see.”
Driven by an inexplicable urge, he opened the door to reveal a staircase descending into the unknown.
“Oh, fuck,”
He exclaimed, startled by what lay beyond.
What followed was a descent unlike any other. Rather than walking, Cashout Ace described a sensation of floating down the stairs, as if detached from his physical form.
“I wasn’t just walking like normal,” he explained. “It was like I was controlling my body with my head, like in a dream, where you’re looking at yourself from a third-person view.”
As he drifted downward, the air was filled with the eerie sound of laughter—“ha, ha, ha”—echoing repeatedly, amplifying the surreal and unsettling nature of the experience.
Despite the odds, Cashout Ace’s story did not end in tragedy, either. By early 2020, FOX 5 Atlanta confirmed he was breathing independently and began his slow but resolute recovery. His recovery towards good health was tough, but his love for music was never broken.
He returned to the stage in grand fashion in 2022 at SXSW after being lauded for “overcoming adversity to give the world his sound.” His song “Wildin,” which includes DoughBoy Sauce, went on to get over 10 million views on YouTube and 8 million plays on Spotify, a testament to his staying power and dedicated fan base. The fact that Cashout can tell his story in 2025, almost six years after being shot, indicates the degree to which he is healed and so well.
That his near-death experience is described so vividly and emotionally indicates not just healing physically, but mental and emotional resilience as well. That he is connected to rapper 50 Cent, another artist who made survival a pillar upon which his identity is built, further highlights the redemptive strength possible through such an experience.