An Ode to the Hype Man

Morning Family!!

Hype-man (noun)

A homeboy or former emcee who takes on the duties as the pre-crowd motivator and the tempo dictator. The hype-man adds ad-libs as needed, punch in the emcees lyrics to accentuate his/her delivery and provides comedic interludes as needed. the hype-man must know the entire catalog of the emcee to a tee and cannot stumble, mumble or fluff any of their lyrics.

I decided that today's post would be a bit more fun. I was thinking the other day about hype-men and really felt that there importance in hip-hop is often overlooked. So, of course, I decided to acknowledge some of the people that I felt were some of the greatest hip hop hype-men ever. The list below by no means includes every hype-man to ever "rock a party." These are a few people that I want to put a spotlight on to let them know that they are appreciated.

Cap-D's Hypeman Picks

Flavor Flav - Prior to the buckin, coonin and shinin' that Mr. Drayton is currently doing on VH-1, Flavor Flav is and will always be one of the premiere hype men of our time. He was the comedic contrast to the socio-political hard rhymes spit from Chuck D. He was also the one that had you imitating his dances, laughing at his outlandish stage antics as well as providing a creative insight to some of PE's dopest musical videos. As much as we may hate to say it, with out Flav, PE isn't just the same.

Spliffstar - Spliff is the embodiment of the hype-man. Energetic...humorous...crowd controller and most of all, he knows his place. Spliff and Bussa Bus have become the "Batman and Robin" of the hip hop world as of late. Dude handles Bussa Bus's verbal volley with lightening speed. What I love the most about Spliff is that he actually knows Bussa Bus's entire musical catalog. Dude never fumbles!! To make matters even better, Spliff can actually spit a hot 16, if tested.

Tony Yayo - This cat is the epitome of the loyal hype-man. He never wanted the limelight. Doesn't care if he's a star and will faithfully follow 50 to the bowels of hell. What makes Tony Yayo so intriguing to me is that he truly is humble and knows where his bread is being buttered. Similar to Spliff, he never fumbles any of 50's lyrics. (Note: Another G-Unit soldier Hot Rod attempted to play hype-man with 50. When he fudged the lyrics, 50 stopped the concert and promptly sent him off the stage. That's how important the hype-man is.)

Lil' Cease - AKA "Lil' Big Man, Cease-A-Leo." Lil' Cease thoroughly enjoyed his role as the crowd starter to one of the greatest emcees of our time, The Notorious B.I.G. As a hype-man, he was also gifted some of the hottest lyrics that could be ever written by Big. And as a reward for his loyalty, knowledge of Big catalog and sexually charged antics, Lil' Cease enjoyed a somewhat successful solo career and built up a impressive resume as a featured artist. When Big died, did his career die? Nope! he picked up where he left off with Lil' Kim, before becoming the hood's Jack La Lane.

Jim Jones/Juelz Santana - Yep, Jim Jones and Juelz Santana were hype-men. Before they were "BALLLLIN'," they were capos of Cam'Ron's "DipSet." He and Juelz were heavily involved in blowing up Cam's "Come Home With Me" Roc-A-Fella debut. Unfortunately for Cam, Jim and Juelz knew that they could be stars too...

Memphis Bleek - This was a case of a promising emcee who actually has been demoted and relegated to hypemen duties. After repeatedly putting egg on Jigga's face for failing to become second coming Jay-Z, Bleek has finally admitted to himself that he could rock quite deftly as a hype-man. Yes, he has an impressive list of collabos with Jay, but any fan worth their salt knows those lyrics were crafted by the Jigga-Man himself.

Sen Dog - Raspy-throated hype-man who represented the west coast something fierce. Loyal to fault and represented with B-Real. It was the perfect dichotomy of voices on a track.

Proof - Not truly a hype-man per se, but he deserves a mention. Proof as we all know was Em's main man and the mastermind behind Em's success. Despite being an emcee himself, he allowed his humility to take over and become a hype-man for one of the greatest emcees in our era. And he laughed all the way to the bank until his demise...

Vinnie (of Naughty by Nature) - My colleague told me that my list would not be complete without "Vin-Rock". I tried my best to argue that Vin was a legitimate emcee, but as he pointed out, "Vin-Rock doesn't even have his own songs, nor is he featured on the majority of the timeless NBN hits." In any case, this soldier has stayed in true form playing his position and masterminding the marketing and PR of the NBN brand. In addition, Vin always held it down with the machine gun spitting Treach. Not an easy feat to do.

The St. Luanatics - This is a case where having three hype men can always be a good thing. yeah, i know they are all emcees, but let's be real. Are you really checking for Ali?? Are you really looking for the dude with the Phantom of The Opera mask to spit that isht?? No.... BUT, I am looking for Murphy Lee to lead these cats in synchronized dances.

2 Bigg MC - LOL! I am just funnin' ya. Hammer's former hype-man was just pure comedy...big man could move too.