Joshua Karpeh (born January 30, 1993), known professionally as Cautious Clay, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Karpeh was born on January 30, 1993, in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated with a degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University in 2015. Karpeh worked as a real estate agent in New York City for two years and in advertising for a year before pursuing music full-time. Karpeh learned music production at GW University by remixing beats for friends.