Connecticut is going so hard right now. Pretty much everything coming out of the yanking movement — a dance-friendly sound pioneered in part by Gangstalicious, a rapper who was killed by police earlier this year — rings like a smash. Snowprah's "Yank Riddim," a lively track with an undeniable bounce and a sample of Busta Rhyme's indelible "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," emerged as the scene's calling card earlier this year. (Yanking, alternately known as freaking it or dumming out, involves a combination of footwork and arm/shoulder movements that pretty much amounts to good cardio.)
My latest obsession from Hartford is "86Zoe Anthem" by BigBreadJrock and 60ShoBlake. It's a fun, no-frills song that literally sounds like a block party on a sunny, 90-degree day. There's a lot to love about "86Zoe Anthem" — the early-aughts nostalgia in the beat (produced by ChillShump) and the straight-from-the-heart flows from BigBreadJrock and 60ShotBlake, for example. In a year filled with dancing, yanking deserves a chance.