Biography

Blending the sonics of Chicago and U.K. drill with his own material, rapper Sheff G was one of the core figures in the creation of New York's drill crowd. After the single "No Suburban" became one of the scene's earliest hits, he soon became one of its most recognizable figures, bringing the style to international audiences with his Panic series of singles. He continued to develop his sound, releasing albums and mixtapes like 2019's The Unluccy Luccy Kid, 2020's One and Only, and 2022's From the Can. Born and raised in Brooklyn's Flatbush district, rapper Sheff G (born Michael Williams) began his rap career after being inspired by Chicago's prominent drill scene. Involved with gang activity from a young age, Williams wrote his first single, "No Suburban," while on probation after firing shots in a local shopping center. His early material injected a Brooklyn-based character into the flows and production of U.K. drill, of which "No Suburban" was a prime example. One of Brooklyn drill's earliest hits, the single garnered millions of plays on streaming sites and made Sheff G a local celebrity. Following a break from music in early 2018, he triumphantly returned with "Panic, Pt. 2" in April, which found a large British following after being promoted on U.K. drill video channels. As the popularity of the scene continued to grow throughout 2018 and 2019, Sheff G maintained a prolific singles output, releasing the third and fourth parts of the Panic series among trap-inspired tracks like "We Getting Money." His debut mixtape, The Unluccy Luccy Kid, saw the artist push into new directions: alongside drill-fusion tracks like "Menace" and "Automatic," the project featured everything from carnivalesque trap on "All My Life" to Dreamville-esque mellowness on "Flows." With seven feature spots from frequent collaborator Sleepy Hallow and an appearance by Sacramento rapper Mozzy, The Unluccy Luccy Kid was released in September 2019. Another album, One and Only, appeared in May 2020, featuring a more subdued sound and production from close collaborator Great John. That December, he released another mixtape, Proud of Me Now, and rounded out the year with additional singles like "Light On" and "No Negotiations." More singles followed in 2021, including "On Go" featuring Polo G and "Run It Up" featuring Sleepy Hallow and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie. Following his July 2021 arrest for illegal weapons possession, Sheff G pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a two years in prison. He delivered the release From the Can in 2022. ~ David Crone, Rovi