If you want to talk hip-hop, Connecticut is probably nowhere near the tip of your tongue. Even though the state is smack dab adjacent to the birthplace of hip-hop, it rarely comes up. I knew of one major underground rapper from CT and that’s Apathy. Associated with the Demigodz collective and Army of the Pharaohs, Apathy has consistently released top-notch rhymes, most recently releasing his album The Widow’s Son.
When you Google Connecticut hip-hop, the first thing that you will see The Third Unheard: Connecticut Hip-Hop 1979-1983, a compilation album of old school hip-hop. It features more than 10 emcees from Connecticut. Pitchfork did a great job breaking down the importance of this album produced by Egon and Peanut Butter Wolf.
In 1985, a hip-hop group was formed in Bridgeport by the name of The Skinny Boys consisting of three guys; Superman Jay, Shockin’ Shawn, and The Human Jock Box. They made their debut that year with the single, “Awesome,” backed with the song “Skinny Boys.”
The following year, the New York-based label, Warlock Records, signed the group. In the same year, they released two more singles; one of them being the track, “Jock Box,” which was later included on their album Weightless. Eventually, they made a switch and signed to Jive Records. Fast forward to 2011 and the song was rebirthed as the theme song for the Comedy Central show, Workaholics.
Hartford rapper, Joey Batts, created the first Hip Hop for the Homeless tour in 2013; two weekends of concerts all over the state that raises money for multiple communities. Batts is also the brainchild behind the massive hip-hop collective, UZOO. The group is made up of 12 different and unique voices of the Connecticut rap scene, as well as a producer and a press guy.
The State of Underground Hip-Hop in Connecticut
Even though Meek Mill is not from Connecticut, he was recently presented with the key to the city to honor his work towards criminal justice reform. As well, the state declared March 19th as ‘Meek Mill Day’, the CT Post reported.
I want to give a big shout out to CT Zone Radio. Their Instagram account is flooded with hella dope, hella Connecticut emcees. I got lost scrolling for a while through their page.
Another dope little piece of culture in the underground Connecticut hip-hop scene is the YouTube series Lyrics In Da V. Emcees from all around the state hop in a car with Ash Cash and spit a freestyle
Now, before I dive into the rappers out of Connecticut that I found, I want to direct your attention to Corey Staggers. In his Instagram bio, he calls himself Kenny G-Unit and for good reason, he’s one of the smoothest motherfuckers to play the saxophone.
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Connecticut Hip-Hop Scene Playlist
8 Indie Rappers From Connecticut To Follow
Tempo Genius
Intel Selektah
Tye Henney
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Smooth Haynes
CrissB Amazing of AQMNI
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Teww Talez
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