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A hype man, typically in hip hop music, is a backing vocalist who supports the primary performer with exclamations, interjections, or in an attempt to increase an audience's excitement or engagement.
The hype man's interjections are also planned to give the MC an opportunity to breathe, and give the illusion of an unbroken flow.Barrett, Grant, 2006, The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English, McGraw-Hill Professional, p. 182.Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 176.Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, p. 304."Kool Moe Dee". Thafoundation.com. Retrieved 2010-08-12."Record Executives Thought Jay-Z Was No Good » MTV Newsroom". Newsroom.mtv.com. 2009-08-26. Retrieved 2010-08-12. 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."Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, p. 304. 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."
Icons of Hip Hop also notes that some producers, such as Sean Combs, Lil Jon, Swizz Beatz, and Jermaine Dupri, "have transitioned from a hype man role to become and stars in their own right".
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