Wednesday 10/14: WifiGawd—"Outside"
Today, we share our thoughts on a recent track by the D.C. rapper WifiGawd.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a recent track by the D.C. rapper WifiGawd.
WifiGawd—"Outside”
Michael Brooks:
WifiGawd is a rapper from D.C. who has yet to break free from the underground, but with two stellar projects under his belt this year (his team up with producer Tony Seltzer Heat Check Vol. 2 and most recently Hot As Hell, his collaboration with Virginia producer GAWD) it shouldn’t be much longer before he finally scores a bonafide hit of his own. On “Outside,” the clear standout track from Hot As Hell, GAWD transforms the menacing thump of 90’s Memphis rap into a technicolor dreamscape, creating a lo-fi odyssey of bleeps and boops that knocks so much harder than anything else I’ve heard this year.
The beat is the perfect match for WifiGawd’s groggy flow, which is buried so deep in the mix that it doesn’t even really matter what words he’s saying, because it’s physically impossible not to nod your head and just vibe to this song. I would also like to point out that Hot As Hell, like the majority of WifiGawd’s mixtapes, has an absolutely delightful cover, somehow turning the Pen & Pixel style (most recently on display on Savage Mode II, which yes, I still won't shut up about) into something even more surreal.
Eli Enis:
I like that WifiGawd sounds simultaneously hype and chill as fuck. On the handful of of other tracks I’ve listened to from him, the D.C. rapper finds the pockets of plush, pillowy beats and channels jump-worthy energy without really raising his voice. “Outside” hinges on a similar dynamic: WifiGawd quietly yet firmly rapping about gangster shit and smoking gas ‘til the morning over a beat that’s 80% bass and 20% rinky dink synth noises. I think Playboi Carti is kind of a surface-level reference point, but WifiGawd really does share the same choppy flow and heavy-aired, breathy rapping style. He definitely has his own style, though. Not much else to add here other than Hot As Hell stays true to its title and features 12 more songs that are in the vein of “Outside.” Check that if you’re into this shit.