Westside Gravy

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Noah Shufutinsky (born 1999), [1] [2] known by the stage name Westside Gravy (formerly Young Gravy), is an African-American Jewish rapper and activist.

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Biography

Shufutinsky was raised in San Diego, California by an African-American Sephardi Jewish mother and an Ashkenazi Russian-Jewish father. [1] [3] His father Anton served in the US Navy, leading to the family frequently moving, [2] and he has an older brother Dmitri who made aliyah and served in the IDF. He attended Jewish day schools growing up, [2] and studied Judaic Studies at George Washington University, [3] from which he graduated in 2021, after which he moved to Hadera, Israel.

He cites reggae, soul, California oldies, hip-hop, and jazz, all of which he grew up listening to, as musical influences. [3] [4] Shufutinsky's music speaks about his lived experiences as a Black and Jewish man, and against racism and antisemitism. In his song "Stereotypes", he mocks the antisemitic and anti-Black stereotypes and prejudice he has to deal with. [5] Shufutinsky has spoken about using music as a tool to educate about racism, antisemitism, and Jewish identity. [5] He frequently sings multilingually, switching between English and Hebrew, and occasionally other languages like Russian and Spanish, in the same song. [1]

Shufutinsky has been vocal about his support for Zionism and Israel, being the president of GW for Israel during college. [2] In 2020, Shufutinsky performed for the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, [1] and in 2021 for the Jewish National Fund-USA. [1] His song "Diaspora" speaks out against BDS-led efforts to attack and delegitimize Israel.

Discography

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Esensten, Andrew (2021-10-12). "SoCal rapper Westside Gravy's next career move: Israel". J. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "'Don't 'All Lives Matter' My Zionism': Meet Young Gravy, The Next Great Jewish Rapper". The Forward. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  3. 1 2 3 Pennisi-Glaser, Leah (7 June 2021). "Rapping my identity". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  4. ↑ ""Westside Gravy" is spreading Jewish identity through Hip-Hop". The Jerusalem Post . 3 March 2022. ISSN   0792-822X . Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  5. 1 2 Ghermezian, Shiryn (2020-06-05). "Black Jewish Rapper Addresses Antisemitism, Racism and Dual Identity in His Music - Algemeiner.com". www.algemeiner.com. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
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