Wifisfuneral’s Underdog Spirit Works to His Advantage – 2018 XXL Freshman Interview

Underdogs stay winning and South Florida rapper Wifisfuneral's story is no different. The Bronx-born, West Palm Beach, Fla.-raised artist has been steadily grinding over the last four years, releasing a steady stream of music for both the SoundCloud set and hip-hop loyalists. His rise to the top as a member of the 2018 XXL Freshman Class is evidence that true rap talent can be rightfully recognized in a sea of mumble rappers.

Wifi, born Isaih Guy Rivera, reps the South Florida rap scene just like the late XXXTentacion and Ski Mask The Slump God, both friends of his and XXL Freshmen with whom he's collaborated for songs on different occasions—XXX on "Manikin" and "Don't Test Me (Remix)" and Ski on 458 Keez's "Batmobile"—and toured the U.S. alongside as part of The Revenge Tour. As for his solo work, mixtapes like Black Heart Revenge, When Hell Falls, Boy Who Cried Wolf, and, his most recently released effort, Ethernet Vol. 1, provide a sonic understanding of the triumphs and tribulations he's experienced on the come up, all while showcasing solid lyricism.

Weef, who's Puerto Rican, doesn't sugarcoat much and he's admittedly vulnerable in his rhymes. There's pain in his voice at times—he's not shy in addressing his past overdoses—but there's also good ass rapping and speaker-knocking bangers across his catalog of music. Don't let those tattoos on his face fool you. These aren't mumble raps and it's not all Debby Downer moments over here either.

Listen to "Aw Shit,” “Lil Jeff Hardy”—the song he says changed how people view him—“Wya?”—the remix featuring Ugly God sits at over 11 million streams on Spotify—“25 Lighters” and "Juveniles," his newest collab with fellow 2018 XXL Freshman YBN Nahmir, to get a feel for Wifi's impact when he raps. His collabs with Robb Bank$ for “EA," and features on Yung Bans’ “It’s Snowin pt. 2” and Ronny J’s “Snakes” also prove he's locking in studio time with some of the game's rising stars.

When it comes to his sound, Wifi admits a lot of southern music inspired him to create what's showcased in his catalog. Tracks like the YBN Nahmir-assisted "Juveniles" with the Juvenile "Back That Azz Up" sample are indicative of this sentiment. "Honestly, being in Florida it kinda like helped me a lot because everything's so black and white out there," Weef tells XXL. "There really wasn't like that much music-related stuff out there besides Trick Daddy and Plies and all of them. But as far as like young people, they didn't make a outlet so like me, Ski, X, couple other people too, we just made this huge movement and this huge outlet. It's crazy."

As far as rap influences, Lil Wayne inspired everything for Wifi, including his face tattoos—he currently has the words "love," "hate" "Chassidy" (for his sister), "Rich Life" (his movement), the symbol for Wi-Fi, a scythe and, his most recent, a tribute to his Members Only brother XXXTentacion in the form of the word "alone" and a broken heart. "There's no other artist that spoke to me like Lil Wayne, you know what I mean, as far as like on some rap shit," the 22-year-old MC states.

Like Lil Wayne, it's clear Wifisfuneral can seriously rap. His lyrical skills earned him a deal with Alamo Records/Interscope last year and subsequently a spot on the 2018 XXL Freshman Class, a goal he's been aiming to accomplish since he saw the 2009 Freshman Class. "Now, it’s about doing it bigger and better from this point out," Wifi explains. "Being on this cover just gave me so much more motivation to actually do something ’cause I was at a point in my career where I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. I was releasing good music, but I felt like I kept getting overlooked and overshadowed."

Now the spotlight is shining brightly in his direction. Watch Wifisfuneral open up about being rap's underdog, Lil Wayne's influence, creating his own lane and joining the 2018 XXL Freshman Class below. Then catch him deliver hard-hitting bars in his freestyle.

See Behind the Scenes Photos of Wifisfuneral at the 2018 XXL Freshman Cover Shoot