DJ Scheme is way more than just that guy who was always around XXXTentacion and Juice WRLD. The 23-year-old Palm Beach native is one of the most integral characters from within Florida’s booming rap scene. Before being embraced by XXXTentacion and the Member’s Only collective, DJ Scheme, real name Gabe Guerra, was working hand-in-hand with wifisfuneral, developing him as an artist and going on the road with him as his DJ. Then, he started working with XXX, building a tremendous relationship with the late artist before forging a similar bond with Juice WRLD.
As you can imagine, DJ Scheme has had to barrel forward through lots of trauma. He was forced to say goodbye to two of his best friends — both of whom were on track to enjoy absolutely legendary careers. XXXTentacion and Juice WRLD will always be remembered as some of the greatest artists and songwriters of their generation and, while DJ Scheme doesn’t intend on matching their legacies necessarily, he is actively working to provide generational wealth to his family, which begins through his debut studio album FAMILY.
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It wasn’t the smoothest ride for DJ Scheme in the week prior to his album’s release. The producer-turned-artist curated a bombastic collection of songs that he put his heart and soul into, including features from Joey Bada$$, Ski Mask the Slump God, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Yachty, Lil Keed, and more. Unfortunately, one of the songs that he was most excited about, which contained a posthumous feature from his late friend Juice WRLD, was pushed back until a later date. While the fans will need to remain patient for that record to drop, FAMILY remains a star-studded explanation of the DJ Scheme’s entire being.
The 23-year-old is loyal, transparent, and passionate as hell. We had the pleasure of speaking with the artist during his album rollout, where he spoke about what he would like to accomplish with this album, as well as his friendships with Juice and XXX, the status of their much-teased collaborative song, and more.
Read the interview below, edited for clarity and length.
HotNewHipHop: What’s up, DJ Scheme! I’ve been a fan for years. I’m excited to finally get the chance to talk to you!
DJ Scheme: Thank you man. I really do appreciate that. It really means a lot.
For anybody who doesn’t know, who is DJ Scheme? How would you describe yourself?
How would I describe myself? So DJ Scheme is me. It’s just Gabe man. What you get from me is not like– I didn’t create a persona. I don’t know, I just do regular shit, man. I love sports. I love music; it’s my number one passion. I’m a producer and DJ. I’ve worked with tons of people specifically like some of my closest friends: Juice, X, and Ski. You know those are my brothers. Yeah, that’s DJ Scheme. DJ Scheme is the next greatest DJ of all time.
The debut album FAMILY is coming out this week. The tracklist is stacked. You’ve got features from Ty Dolla $ign, Ski, Joey Bada$$, Cordae… all of these huge names. Did you have a favorite person to work with on the album?
Let me just keep it real. Working with Juice and working with Ski, those, for sure, are my two favorites to always work with just cause it’s such a genuine connection with them and I genuinely love them and they trust me. I just started producing so you know I need that a lot from artists. Those two definitely trusted me the most with what we were creating, but if I was to be a little less cliché with my choices, I really liked working with Joey Bada$$ because I’m a Joey Bada$$ fan, like a die-hard Pro Era fan. I’m such a nerd about Pro Era. Odd Future and Pro Era: that’s DJ Scheme. And Raider Klan. That’s like the inspiration for Scheme, you know what I mean?
“Working with Juice and working with Ski, those, for sure, are my two favorites to always work with just cause it’s such a genuine connection with them and I genuinely love them and they trust me. I just started producing so you know I need that a lot from artists. Those two definitely trusted me the most with what we were creating, but if I was to be a little less cliché with my choices, I really liked working with Joey Bada$$ because I’m a Joey Bada$$ fan, like a die-hard Pro Era fan.”
He’s such a big inspiration to me. It hits close to home and that record specifically… he trusted me. We’ve never made music together and he allowed me to direct the song in a direction that made me really happy. It was amazing because that’s my inspiration. That’s literally fucking badass– me working with one of my heroes. My hero being like ‘Hey man, you’re actually really dope and I really love your work,’ I don’t know it just made me think, damn, I’ve actually come a really long way. That was the moment for that. That was super nostalgic and it felt really good.
You’re big on collaboration, obviously. Is there a quality that you look for in artists when you’re looking to work together?
If you want me to be honest, when I first started getting into it, I was like, ‘damn I’m not gonna be able to do anything if I don’t have connections with these really big artists like I gotta put together huge records.’ And then, I guess I started to trust myself a little bit more. I try to bring the best out of the artists. That’s my goal every time. I don’t care about the quality, I don’t care about what you do. I want you to come into the studio with me and the homies where we’re all working together and I want to pull something out of you. You know what I mean? That’s what I look for in artists: if you can trust me. I guess that’s the best answer to that question. If you trust me, we can make magic. If you don’t, you know you can still rap on one of my beats and make something cool but I’m here for intent. I like real intent behind the music. That’s my whole thing.
Just like how I wanna bring something out of you, I hope you bring the best out of me. Challenge me. That’s what I want.
The album cover is pretty iconic. All of the featured artists just surrounding you at a pool party– was that always the idea or were there any alternate ideas?
Yeah, this was the whole vibe for the album. I’ve really taken a liking to the whole cartoon vibe for artwork so I always post fan art that I really love. The kid that I’m working with, MSU– he’s actually from Europe, he ain’t even from America. He’s just some young kid and I really trusted him and I really liked his work and I was like– this was like three, four months ago– I was like, ‘yo we’re doing this idea. I want it to be like me and all the homies surrounded at a party.’ He came up with the designs for the characters. Those were all original. Honestly, it was so crazy cause I have been set on this artwork for, like, forever. I have so many different versions of this artwork… artists that were on it that we ended up taking off. Artists that were gonna be on it but ended up not finishing something or it just not fitting the album… it was really crowded at one point. I had way too many people on it and I was like, fuck. Obviously, it’s gonna be crowded with like 20-something artists, but I wanted it limited to that. These are the artists that fit the album the best and they’re the ones that, for me, were able to just bring what I was looking for, I guess. But the album cover, I was locked on that forever.
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You’re just now starting to break as an artist. Obviously, you’ve been known as a producer and as a DJ for years. How would you explain your sound to somebody who’s just discovering you?
How can I explain my sound? So this is actually a really, really good question. I was thinking about this the other day. I was talking with my boy, Nuri, who’s my main collaborator as far as production, he pretty much taught me everything. I’ve been a fan of Nuri since I was young, he produced a lot of shit for Robb Bank$. Shout out to Nuri. But I was having a conversation with him. And I’m like, ‘yo, you know, I feel like, I really don’t have a sound.’ If you want me to be honest right now, I’m still growing every day. I can’t tell you right now that this album is one cohesive flow of an idea– like this is multiple ideas, with the same general meaning. Every song has meaning. And it’s all oriented to what I was trying to do with these artists. But at the same time, it’s like, when I go into the studio, I don’t necessarily have anything that like, for me, stands out to where you’re going to get this every time. And you know what I feel like, I’m gonna play that card too, like an advantage. I try to think less of it as a worry because I used to be worried about it.
Everyone has a certain sound and then I’m just like, I’ll go into the same beat pack. I’m just not like that. With me, everything is a collaboration between me and my good friends. So whether it be Carlton on the guitar, or Dylan or any one of my other homies that I respect and love. That’s what you’re gonna get from me every time. You’re gonna be able to get anything from me. That’s my card. I’ve been like that my whole life. It’s like, I play multiple sports. Bro, I do so many different things, it’s actually really funny. Growing up, I had this whole thing where I was like, I get 70% good at something and then I go on to the next thing. That’s literally been me my whole life, except with this producing shit. This is my passion and my love. So I’m really happy to be where I’m at now. And I can say that, you know, I don’t have a sound and you’re never gonna get something specific from me. And some people can be like, that’s good. Some people can hate it, I love it.
That’s really cool. I respect that.
I don’t have a sound, I have no idea. It’s literally a blend. My whole career is based on my relationships with these amazing people that I’ve literally become friends with. Because, you know, that’s what happens when people are genuine and show love and stuff. So at the end of the day, it’s like, I think that my influence comes from everyone that I’ve been surrounded by as a DJ. That’s my life. I’ve worked with so many different types of artists now, and so many different producers to where I’m like, hey, whatever you want, we can do some trash shit. We can do a lot of shit. I have music on this album that literally has no drums, like, no drums at all– it’s kind of crazy. I’d say like, halfway through the album, I got into a new form of producing and looking at music. Shout out to Skrillex and Rex [Kudo], those are like my mentors. I love them very much. They look out for me a lot. And they’ve just taught me a lot. So I guess yeah, that’s just what I got going on right now.
What’s your relationship with Skrillex and Rex like?
Shout out to Juice [WRLD] because Juice– we were at the house one day, and he was like, ‘yo, man, you gotta meet my homie. Meet this guy.’ That was Rex. He’s like, produced everything. Post Malone, Kodak, all that shit. I didn’t know who he was at first. So he came through and I’m just talking with him. He’s actually a really, really nice guy. And then Juice like, introduced us. And fuckin’– I don’t know what it was. But like, Rex believes in me, I love him very much. Shout out to him for believing in me and my ear within music. He’s taught me so much. This is my year– it’s about to be two years producing, like a year and a half so far. So to say that I’m able to come this far, and what I’m doing right now is like a huge step in what it means to be a producer. And without them, I definitely would still be doing what I’m doing. But it was just a huge opening for my eyes. You know what I mean? It was just insane, bro. They open my ears. They open my ears and my eyes. It was something special. So those dudes look out for me a lot. And they’re my big brothers. I’ve called Skrillex 100 times and been like, ‘Yo, this version or this version?’ and he’ll be like, ‘well, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, this version.’ You know, I don’t think too hard about it. Don’t second guess yourself. Shout out to them, they really look out a lot. And I appreciate that.
That’s love. What do you hope to accomplish with this album as an artist?
This is something that I’ve been wanting to accomplish– being able to release music and being able to release a project. That’s been my goal. When I first came up with wifisfuneral, I was originally a rapper. I was an MC. He was an MC. We were rapping as a duo. And then I just stopped because I just didn’t like my voice. I just wasn’t comfortable with being an artist when I was younger, it was a weird point. And I feel like what I’m accomplishing now is showing me that I actually am an artist, and this is super special to me because I fucking wanted to give up on this album so many times. I was hopeless about it.
The way this album really started, it was called SchemeSeason. I called XXXTentacion and I’m like, ‘yo, bro, I really want you on this project.’ I have a couple of songs. They’re only from the Members Only homies, like Robb, two Ski songs, it was just low-key stuff back in the day. Like, two to three years ago. I called X and he was like, ‘hell yeah, let’s do it. You know, I’m ready. Let’s get this shit going.’ I sent him a beat. And he like– it was actually really funny. I sent him one of my first beats that I was working on, and he was like, ‘nah, that shit’s trash, go more in this direction.’ It was a learning experience and I was super excited. And then when he passed away, it really killed my confidence as an artist because a lot of that came from my friends. They believed in me at points when I wanted to give up. And that’s literally the basis of this whole album. So, yes, I guess what I really want to accomplish is I really want to get over all those hunches where I’ve wanted to quit, like when Juice passed away.
“I sent XXXTentacion a beat. And he like– it was actually really funny. I sent him one of my first beats that I was working on, and he was like, ‘nah, that shit’s trash, go more in this direction.’ It was a learning experience and I was super excited. And then when he passed away, it really killed my confidence as an artist because a lot of that came from my friends. They believed in me at points when I wanted to give up. And that’s literally the basis of this whole album.”
It was literally the same thing over again, you know what I mean? It was kind of crazy. It was hard. I felt like I was never gonna find an artist who was gonna trust me with their music, and stuff like that. Thank God for Ski. He trusted me. And then we built this beautiful relationship with Juice and everything was moving in a beautiful direction. We were living together, making music every single day. That, for me, was insane because I hadn’t been producing for a long time. When this album started, I produced nothing on it. I was just a DJ trying to take records and just do whatever I could and ask people to hop on records. Juice was the first artist who actually believed in me as a producer and was like, ‘no, you’re really hard. Play me the beats that you’ve been making.’ I was like, ‘what the fuck, okay, cool. Yeah, hell yeah, for sure.’ So you know there’s a lot of confidence built back up that I had lost when Jah passed away. And then, you know, Juice passed away and it was hard on me. I just, I don’t know. I was just tired of being sad and shit. And I mean, obviously, I’m still sad. It sucks every day. But I was just tired of that ruling my life, you know?
COVID hit and I was like, ‘yo, I’m not gonna just sit around and do nothing.’ So I really got my shit together. And during COVID, me and Nuri talked, and I’m like, ‘yo let’s get in the lab and lock in and do what we’re supposed to be doing.’ Because if I was doing nothing, then everything was for nothing. You know what I mean? And that’s not my legacy. That’s not what I’m trying to leave. I’ve seen my best friends in the world be able to leave these amazing, beautiful legacies. It motivates me every day, you know, and it shows me– I knew these two guys. I know all my homies– Ski and everyone that’s a rapper now. I know these guys as regular people. To see a regular person be able to accomplish so much just goes to show that this shit is possible for anyone. And all it takes is to just keep moving forward. When life knocks you down, get back up, keep going. That’s what I learned being around them. So that’s what I want to accomplish. My accomplishment is releasing this album and giving the world the music that they fucking deserve.
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That’s really inspiring for me to hear. You’ve overcome a lot over the years. So to hear that you’ve got your confidence back– that’s beautiful for me to hear. Congratulations, man.
Thank you. I really appreciate that. Like I said, you know, this album is really just a thank you. This album is a thank you to the fans who have made this possible because I’ve been working on this project from the beginning and figuring it out. Like, oh wow, I can’t just drop this, I gotta get label clearances, I got to– this is like real life. I have a partnership with EMPIRE. I’m technically independent, you know, I am independent. I own my masters, so it’s like, realizing how much of a business this is too. And this is like– this is just my thank you. Because without the fans and my family, which is what I call my supporters, and my real-life family: my brother, my girl, everyone involved in my whole thing. This is like Ground Zero to where I’m at right now. I’ve never done nothing. I didn’t sign a deal early. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. This is ground-up work. You know what I mean? Everyone around me. Tariq has been my manager since I was 17-years-old. Since I was doing nothing– literally not doing shit. I’m 23 now. This is ground zero to what I’m doing now. I don’t know where I’m going exactly but I think it’s somewhere nice. It is somewhere nice for sure.
You’re gonna find out soon with the album release!
That’s my whole thing, bro. Let me tell you something, bro. I really don’t care about numbers. I don’t care about nothing. I just want people to understand that you can do this. Be a good person. Have genuine relationships. Work with people that believe in you as much as you believe in th
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