photo set of Sheefy Mcfly done by David Cid @cidx000.3
Full Interview by Abraham Gurrola
We met up with Detroit legend Sheefy McFly outside the Pyramid Scheme, a local bar and music venue in Grand Rapids, MI for an event by The Seventh called “Winter Heat” where we caught up with Sheefy before his set that night for a short interview.
The first time I heard of Sheefy McFly I was at another local venue for a show earlier in the year at “Billy’s Lounge” and it didn't take long for me to notice and feel Detroit’s Ghettotech sound.
“Ghettotech” is electronic music that combines Chicago’s Ghetto House with Electro of Detroit and Miami Bass, mixed and personalized by the DJ. It is lyrical expressions over techno beats (raw freedom personified), freestyles, and random catchy expressions that are fun.
Sheefy McFly has been a Dj for a couple of years making hip-hop and electronic music collaborating with many artists and musicians including Moodymann, Sintex, Boldy James, Danny Brown, Dopehead, Cold Men Young, and Nick Speed. Sheefy has been a trendsetter and a major creative outlet in the city of Detroit, creating showcases such as “SURREALITY” and “The Air Up There” that have helped up-and-coming Detroit musicians and painters debut their talents on a credible platform.
When it comes to Art, Sheefy is the Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat of Detroit. Soulful and colorful fun paintings with a taste of Detroit’s everyday culture. His style is characterized by vivid colors, emotional intensity, & gestural abstraction and is very much like Neo-expressionism but with energetic bold lines, colorful contrast, and heritage inspiration.
AG: Sheefy Tell us about your work & where you place yourself in terms of genre and art for those that don’t know.
SM: At least that hip-hop techno, Ghettotech house, just a little bit of everything, but I get everything from the roots of Detroit, that's where I'm from, born and raised, so I'll just imitate and inspire from the shit I used to hear growing up.
AG: Growing up what were the things that you would listen to, What're some artists in Detroit that influenced the music that you make now?
SM: On the radio, FM98, they used to play, you know, like, ghetto tech on the weekends, so a lot of Godfather, and DJ Assault, you feel me?, you know, Blade Icewood, Jay Dilla, the list goes on.
SM: It's like a hundred influential rappers and MCs, and DJs in Detroit is hard to just pinpoint five names, you know, at a moment, but it's just a big melting pot of just black culture in Detroit, which is a blessing to have.
AG: Sheefy you just dropped an EP called “P.E.R.M”.
(PAINTING ENCOURAGES REAL MOTHERFUCKERS) back in October of 2023. Tell us a bit about who was behind that album.
SM: Yeah, Sango, Chuck English produced by Chuck English from the Cool Kids, Sango shit, Local Legends shit.
AG: How is it working with Sango and how did you got connected to one of Grand Rapids legends.
SM: The shit's been dope, l've known him for a few years, I met him through The Seventh, so I met him just like us talking back and forth from actually sending me beats and we have just been sending the tracks and it finally just came into fruition after a while.
AG: In your song "LOCK IN" You said "Global ass nigga but I barely left the D, shipping paintings to Berlin sellin' vinyl in Belize." indicating your success overseas without leaving your hometown. What has Sheefy done overseas.
SM: Oh yeah, I know for sure, I already released vinyl and stuff with MoodyMan & Mahogany music, so it sells overseas, I sell a lot of art and prints and stuff overseas too, so I know my name goes across the water, it's just I physically got to get there too.
AG: How did you make your way into becoming the multifaceted artist you are now, from painting to making music, how do you plan on incorporating your artistry in future projects?
SM: Like I said, I've been doing this since I was a kid, it's all I know, so I just grew up wanting to be an artist, so l just did whatever I had to do to find that way to do this 24-7, now it's become my career, but it takes a lifetime to live this, so it's just coming to fruition, I wish it was a blessing, and it's more to come as well.
AG: Can you tell us what you're most excited about in the new year, can we expect any cool collaborations or new music in 2024?
SM: Honestly, everything in the whole straight, it's just putting the work in, so I'm just excited to sit down, paint, make some music, just winter and stuff, so I can start releasing more stuff next spring, summer, so I'm just really in that incubator, hibernation mode, and I feel like I'm living a dream, I'm already working with the people I've been dreaming to work with and I feel like everything else is going to come, I want to tour and all that shit, DJ across the world and all that shit, rapping and all that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, but I'm just happy waking up tomorrow, you know.
AG: What advice do you give to artists who are also multi-talented or want to branch out into other forms of art?
SM: Give yourself grace, everything takes time, make sure it makes sense, what I mean when I say sense, I mean money, you feel like a lot of people, they're focused on the card instead of the actual dollars that they making, and you can make more money on your own most of the time and shit, so make sure you stand on your own 10 toes, you believe in yourself, you know, give it time, give yourself grace, and remember you're human.
AG: Awesome, dude, you seem very happy tonight & very happy in your music and art. You are an inspiration to a lot of people in the city of Detroit. Thank you for the short interview.
SM: Appreciate it.
Find Sheefy McFly here !
Website : https://sheefymcfly.com/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/sheefymcfly
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/sheefymcfly313/
X (Formally known as twitter) : https://twitter.com/sheefymcfly
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