Westside Gravy
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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.
