Hype man

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Backup rapper and/or singer

title: "Hype man" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["hip-hop", "hip-hop-terminology", "occupations-in-music"] description: "Backup rapper and/or singer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype_man" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Backup rapper and/or singer ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Public_Enemy-01-mika_(cropped).jpg" caption="Hype man [[Flavor Flav]] (left) exciting the crowd while lead rapper [[Chuck D]] performs."] ::

A hype man, typically in hip hop music, is a backing vocalist who supports the primary performer with exclamations, interjections, or ad-libs in an attempt to increase an audience's excitement or engagement.

Origins

Early hype men included MC Cowboy and Kidd Creole of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Kool Moe Dee calls Creole "the original hype man".

Techniques

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/House_of_Pain-IMG_6536.jpg" caption="[[House of Pain]]'s hype man [[Danny Boy O'Connor]] doing the [[call-and-response]] technique"] ::

Often the hype man will use call-and-response chants in order to excite the crowd. For example, they will exhort the crowd to "Throw your hands in the air" and "Everybody say ho!", phrases coined by MC Cowboy.

The hype man's interjections are also planned to give the MC an opportunity to breathe, and give the illusion of an unbroken flow. Music writer Mickey Hess expands the term as follows: "a hype man is a figure who plays a central but supporting role within a group, making his own interventions, generally aimed at hyping up the crowd while also drawing attention to the words of the MC".

Rapper Royce da 5'9" describes how a hype man can contribute to a live performance: "a lot of my verses [can] be so constant with the flow [that] I'd need somebody to help me." Lateef the Truthspeaker has stated, "You're gonna have to have somebody say something somewhere to give you a breath... usually it's just a matter of getting somebody to hit some line or some word in a line—that's all you really need."

Hype men who became lead rappers and producers

Prior to becoming a lead rapper himself, Jay-Z began his career as a hype man for Jaz-O and was later the hype man for Big Daddy Kane.

Icons of Hip Hop also notes that some producers, such as Diddy, Lil Jon, Swizz Beatz, and Jermaine Dupri, "have transitioned from a hype man role to become rappers and stars in their own right".

Hype men in rock and pop music

Occasionally pop or rock groups include a member up front alongside the lead singer who may perform backup vocals or percussion but largely functions to excite the audience through dancing and/or stage patter. Examples include Bob Nastanovich for Pavement, Bez of The Happy Mondays, Beau Beau Butler of Avail, and Guy Picciotto in Fugazi's earliest incarnation.

List of notable hype men

References

References

  1. "The Hilltop - The Role of The 'Hype Man' In Hip-Hop". Thehilltoponline.com.
  2. Hess, Mickey, 2007, ''Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture'', Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 176.
  3. "Kool Moe Dee". Thafoundation.com.
  4. Barrett, Grant, 2006, ''The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English'', McGraw-Hill Professional, p. 182.
  5. Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 176.
  6. Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, p. 304.
  7. "Kool Moe Dee". Thafoundation.com. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  8. "Record Executives Thought Jay-Z Was No Good » MTV Newsroom". Newsroom.mtv.com. 2009-08-26. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  9. Edwards, Paul, 2009, ''[[How to Rap]]: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC'', Chicago Review Press, p. 304.
  10. (2009-08-26). "Record Executives Thought Jay-Z Was No Good » MTV Newsroom". Newsroom.mtv.com.
  11. Vibe magazine, Jan 2004, Vol. 12, No. 1, published by Vibe Media Group, p. 75.
  12. Jonathan Cunningham. (2007-03-15). "Kane's Domain - Page 1 - Music - Broward/Palm Beach - Broward-Palm Beach New Times". Broward/Palm Beach.
  13. Alex Pappademas. (2012-06-20). "'It Hasn't Been a Disaster: Indie-rock legend Bob Nastanovich on Pavement, the Silver Jews, and horse racing. But not in that order.".
  14. Staff. (2012-02-09). "Music's 10 Greatest Hype Men".
  15. Nathan Leigh. (2011-05-18). "Public Enemy: The Forgotten Innovators of Post-Hardcore".
  16. (2021-05-03). "In sobriety, House of Pain's Danny Boy O'Connor finds his calling".
  17. "Fatman Scoop, Beloved Rapper and Hype Man, Dies at 53: 'His Legacy Will Live On'".
  18. (2000-11-20). "Kid Rock cohort Joe C. dies". [[CNN]].
  19. Harling, Danielle. (2014-02-10). "Tech N9ne Says Kendrick Lamar Met Dr. Dre On His Tour".
  20. Elibert, Mark. (2023-09-02). "ScHoolboy Q Explains Kendrick Lamar's Impact on Him: 'Dot Made Me a Rapper'".
  21. (5 August 2014 }}{{Dead link). "The 10 Greatest Sidekicks in Rap History".
  22. (9 April 2018). "INTERVIEW WITH a GOBLIN: Nicky Calonne of NEKROGOBLIKON".
  23. "Major Lazer Biography, Discography, Chart History".
  24. Kra-Oz, Tal. (August 22, 2016). "Shai Tsabari Storms the Heavens, From Bat Yam to New York".

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hip-hophip-hop-terminologyoccupations-in-music