Isaiah Rivera, better known by his stage nameWifisfuneral, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for his breakthrough mixtapes, Black Heart Revenge, When Hell Falls, Ethernet and Boy Who Cried Wolf. Before his retirement, he was signed to Alamo Records and Empire Records, and was previously signed to Interscope Records.
Early life
Isaiah Rivera was born in The Bronx, New York City, to a Puerto Rican mother & a Jamaican father. Rivera was raised by his mother. His biological father, who was a freestyle battle rapper in The Bronx, left the family when Rivera was only 3 years old. When he turned 7, the family moved to Palm Beach, Florida. His mother and stepfather later broke up when Rivera was 12. Rivera was originally known as Izzy Kill$, but later chose to go under the name Wifisfuneral, which he got from his close friend DJ Scheme. Rivera's interest in hip-hop began when he first watched The Notorious B.I.G.. tribute "Mo Money Mo Problems" music video with Puff Daddy and Ma$e.
After dropping out of high school and being kicked out of his house during his sophomore year, Rivera began working on his dream of success in the hip hop industry. While recording music during this time, he battled with substance abuse problems, including Cocaine, Xanax and Adderall. While working on Black Heart Revenge, Rivera unintentionally overdosed on cocaine and adderall. After recovering, he resumed his work on the album while getting his addiction under control. Rivera released When Hell Falls on January 27, 2017. It was originally his suicide note, but he decided to turn it into an album instead. The project took a total of two weeks to complete, and upon release, attracted the attention of Alamo Records and Interscope Records, who he later signed with. His next mixtape, Boy Who Cried Wolf, named after the popular fable by Aesop, was released later in the year to positive reception. He was also a member of Members Only, a group originally created by XXXTentacion and Ski Mask the Slump God, from 2015 to 2017.
''Ethernet'' and ''Conn3ct3d'' (2018-2019)
Ethernet was first slated for a May 2018 release date, but was later pushed back due to sample and feature clearance issues. The album was officially released on June 8, 2018, delivering the recognizable song "Juveniles". On June 12, 2018, Rivera was chosen as a member of the XXL Freshman Class of 2018, along with other emerging rappers, such as Ski Mask the Slump God, Lil Pump, and JID. On January 11, 2019, Rivera released Conn3ct3d, a joint project with frequent collaborator Robb Banks. CONN3CT3D was led by two official singles. “Movin Slow” was released on April 19, 2018, and “Can’t Feel My Face” was released on January 9, 2019. Two songs on the album were prematurely leaked before release. “EA” was leaked on April 8, 2018, and “Neglect” was leaked on October 15, 2018. The first song off the album to get a video release was the official single "Can't Feel My Face", which had debuted on February 5, 2019. In 2020, he officially announced his retirement from rap music.
