WiFiGawd’s one-producer collaboration albums seem like sparring sessions, the D.C. rapper bobbing and weaving in a post-regional gauntlet where distinct underground styles are thrown at him at a furious pace. It’s true of 2018’s Heat Check, where he fused with New Yorker Tony Seltzer’s swirling, downtempo creations that almost doubled as relaxation mantras; the same goes for his link-ups with Virginia-based artist GAWD, who manned the boards for the 2020 standout Hot As Hell and 2023’s Block Music. These albums are unique exercises for WiFi and his understated, malleable rapping—balancing acts for retaining his own singular style while melding with his producers’ beats. On WiFi’s latest project, SOULVINCI—his first full-length project with North Carolina producer Dylvinci—he passes another self-imposed test. Encased in a diverse world ruled primarily by plugg’s hazy and airy tenets, the underground darling uses his charisma and exceptional beat selection to log another worthy addition to his expansive catalog.
On SOULVINCI, Dylvinci—the Grammy-winner who previously worked with WiFi on his 2026 Trap or Die tape and holds a slew of production credits on Niontay’s Soulja Hate Repellent—sprinkles in psychedelic elements as accoutrements to WiFi’s staticky vocals. There’s a tacit understanding of WiFi’s omnivorous appetite for sounds from disparate corners of the underground: “North West Groovers” vibrates with distorted basslines before turning into a murky Houston lowrider jam—letting WiFi float coolly above the fray and dispel muted threats like, “You flexin’ that work imma take it.” That track immediately gives way to the spaced-out, serene “Highs N Lows,” placing WiFi’s smoothness at the forefront as he embarks upon a “name some guys” stretch, rattling off NBA player wordplay like he’s reminiscing in the groupchat with the homies. Dylvinci strikes a balance between layered complexity—production that swirls and progresses, adding plugg elements like a river picking up sediment—and spaciousness that leaves room for WiFi’s restrained voice and day-in-the-life musings. Take how the breezy clavinet-like production on “Northface” aligns with WiFi’s melodic ramblings about hopping on a fixed-gear bike and raps about Family Guy (doing his best Ice Cube “It Was a Good Day” impression), just before the standout “Spot” intrudes with staunch abrasiveness: There’s synergy between WiFi’s effortless stream of consciousness and the pairing’s genuine interest in various production lanes.
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The 16-track, 31-minute project has a longer runtime than each of WiFi’s past three projects, and moments of repetition make it feel like he’s teetering on stagnancy. The intimidating depth of WiFi’s discography, where he’s often running through Saks Fifth Ave catalogues on wax, neuters the impact of tracks when his energy drones a bit, as on “Ricky,” “I Swear,” and “Uptown.” There’s only so many ways to link together phrases describing putting on Pelle Pelle jackets and Chanel before it begins to sound like that other WiFi track from three years ago.
Yet these breaks in momentum only register as minor speed bumps. SOULVINCI is littered with enough manipulations of rhythm and pace to excite, despite WiFi’s tenor remaining the same—like when he drops into breathless rapping and then pulls back like he’s playing with the throttle on “PaperRoute,” sneaking in understated wit like, “Been stepping on shit since pre-school.” There’s no better example of how WiFi wields simplicity than “My Zone.” Inside the negative space of Dylvinci’s electronic beeps and drink-swishing effects, WiFi raps about the need to stack his paper, self-medicating with weed while missing his brother and other dead loved ones; his memorializing snaps some of his urgent boasts into focus, before he embarks upon a melodic hook that lands with tenderness. It’s the same instinct that grounds all his best releases: an effortless pulling of the levers that keeps him in perpetual motion, chasing a new direction whenever necessary.
