F-Town meets Chilltown. Whether by Route 1-9 or I-95 the union of
New Jeru Native SoULFULL and Jersey City's own
Kärma always seems to equate to excellent music. You already knew that. The difference is now they're reaching their prime with no sign of slowing down.
From the moment Kärma first opened her mouth to the last down beat, I knew this project was special. In ten tracks the concepts take a million twists and turns throughout so let's break it down.
Day & Night couldn't have been a better way to kick things off. It's the warm up before the meat of this music sandwich.
Things in Life produced by
PartyXMichael is the life lesson. The duo teach us the difference between wants and needs. Something we all need to hear sometimes. If the singer-songwriter route doesn't work for Party, his production is definitely superb real rap.
En Routé produced by
IGNORVNCE is flat out groovy as hell. You just gotta roll your windows down and blast this one with shorty riding shotgun on
Pkwy S. Funny enough that's the title to the next song. In track four they find a way to inspire and remind us never to quit our dreams which is back on a Things in Life tip.
House Party produced by
Fraser Gourley begins the second half of the project. It's kind of a climactic point in i95 & Wifi. The beat selection on this project is dope as hell and this beat was my favorite. It starts with a
Cheryl Lynn sample of her classic
Got To Be Real. I swear I was in my living room listening to this track killing a two step better than that drunk uncle at every cookout. SoULFULL returns on the beat with a Biggie flow that fits like a puzzle piece. This song is fitting for any occasion for the generations across the boards. I even had my parents jamming to this one. Although she said otherwise they mixed this one so well. The skit at the end was perfect. Shoot I thought my phone was ringing and went in my pocket until
Alvie The Skywalker and
Darryl J answered. I'm that N***A is the radio track straight from the trap. They performed this one at
TGMInvadesNYC if my memory serves me right.
SY2 (Say Yes Two),
Enterlude 120, and
Y.O.U. takes the project to a mellow mood. You can light some candles, pour some wine, and run the bath water and listen to those three. You might not make it back to the bed before the end of SY2, trust me I tried. It was a perfect sequel to the
original.
Y.O.U. was the Kärma coming out show. This ballad was as good as any Singer-Rapper collab I've ever heard. This is some real Bey-Jay type stuff here and I understand the weight that comparison holds. Last Song, a
J Dilla production, is a fitting title to end things. Kärma hook, SoULFULL verse, Kärma hook, Kärma verse, Kärma hook. Perfect song structure, take out the tape, fade to black.
Terrific runs and riffs meshed with looping punchlines and verses that make you make an ugly face. They're batting 1000. There's no missed swings, no walks, no skips. The production on this project was top notch. There's something on this project for every type of music listener. For the listener that has an eclectic ear like mine, i95 & Wifi was crafted just for your consumption. En Routé is for the smokers. That N***A is for the trap listener, House Party is for the old heads, SY2 & Y.O.U is for the lovers, and Last Song is for the hip-hoppers. The duo have transcended the combination of rapper and singer but to the true artistry of being musicians and recording artists. One of the things I loved most about this project is, it's not SoULFULL featuring Kärma on a few hooks. It's not Kärma singing love songs with a few rap verses from SoULFULL. They found a way to mesh and sound like one complete artist without upstaging each other or clashing. Kärma even took some shots at rapping herself. This is one of the best underground projects I've ever heard in any genre of music. The quality of this music is industry ready. In their interview with
Urban One Radio Kärma stressed how these weren't even the final mixes due to harddrive problems. It happens, but it did not sound like it, at all. Long story short, for a soundcloud release this was a present on Christmas. For the amount of synergy, talent, and pure love put out on i95 & Wifi, I feel like I should have to paid for this project. Thus when I saw it on Apple Music I smiled. I'd really like them to make physical copies of this one, shoot even vinyl, it's that good. I don't think I've ever spoken this way about a project I've been critical on. i95 and Wifi gets a 4.81 of 5 Stars on the Ramsey Rating Scale. SoULFULL and Kärma showed us why we consider them the best pound for pound at what they do around here. I don't think they'll be underground for too much longer, but I know I'll be listening to this project forever. Below is the stream but I plead that you guys really really go out and
PURCHASE THIS PROJECT. It's worth every penny.
From the moment Kärma first opened her mouth to the last down beat, I knew this project was special. In ten tracks the concepts take a million twists and turns throughout so let's break it down. Day & Night couldn't have been a better way to kick things off. It's the warm up before the meat of this music sandwich. Things in Life produced by PartyXMichael is the life lesson. The duo teach us the difference between wants and needs. Something we all need to hear sometimes. If the singer-songwriter route doesn't work for Party, his production is definitely superb real rap. En Routé produced by IGNORVNCE is flat out groovy as hell. You just gotta roll your windows down and blast this one with shorty riding shotgun on Pkwy S. Funny enough that's the title to the next song. In track four they find a way to inspire and remind us never to quit our dreams which is back on a Things in Life tip.
