Partnered with a lead rapper or group, the hype-man is the designated go-to guy for ad-libs and introductions on records; he's also responsible for keeping the crowd stoked during live shows.
There have been some magnetic hype-men over the years that have risen to prominence in their own right. Some have even gone on to have solo careers, but most fail when fed to the masses in large doses; a hype-man is best served as a compliment to a main dish.
We'd like to tip our fitted caps to seven players who were the greatest ever at the position.
Flavor Flav
Affiliated with: Public Enemy
Flavor Flav is arguably the greatest hype-man of all time. The irreplaceable yin to Chuck D's yang, Flav tempered the seriousness of Public Enemy with his comic charisma. Oversized clocks and frantic dances were just part of Flav's repertoire. With his numerous arrests, bizarre antics and scores of children, Flavor Flav was the first coming of Ol' Dirty Bastard. Flav not only amped crowds with his Energizer Bunny-like voltage at P.E.'s live shows, he also provided their songs with classic sound bites ("You're blind, baby…," "Cold Medina!"). Flavor had some tight, hilarious solo joints too, like "Cold Lampin'" and "911 is a Joke." While some critics may dismiss it as mere coonery, at damn near 50 years of age Flav has made himself relevant again via the smash-hit TV shows Flavor of Love and Strange Love. Admittedly, it was cringing to watch a top hat-clad Flavor playing the piano to a room full of Bridgette Nielsen's smug friends from Italy. One can only surmise that P.E.'s other hype-man, the extra-militant Professor Griff, must've wanted to slap Flav for that.
Sen Dog
Affiliated with: Cypress Hill
Alongside B-Real in the seminal group Cypress Hill, Sen barked his blunt-charred ad-libs like a dog, hence his surname. Many of the phrases he shouted became timeless Hip-Hop jewels ("How I could just kill a man!" and "Yeah, ya' know I had to gat ya'!" immediately come to mind). Sen got busy on the classic single, "Hand on the Pump," and held his own with a copasetic solo joint called "Latin Lingo" from Cypress's self-titled debut album. Even if he hadn't gained fame as the Cuban Flavor Flav, Sen would never be labeled a lowly "weed-carrier" for Cypress Hill; We're pretty sure every member of the group carries their own buds.
Spliff Star
Affliated with: Busta Rhymes
Nobody plays their lane better than Spliff Star, the man who lends hype to the already hopped-up Busta Rhymes. In videos and live shows, Spliff Star is closer to Busta than a parrot sitting on a pirate's shoulder. It must be tough keeping up with the caffeinated Rhymes during his performances, but Spliff matches his energy. He's tried his hand at rhyming and put out some records that breezed through without fanfare, but Spliff is a career sidekick and there's nothing wrong with that. When you're rolling with a legendary, multi-platinum artist, the leftover groupies are still top-notch.
Crunchy Black
Affliated with: Three 6 Mafia
Like Flavor Flav, the ex-Three Six Mafioso Crunchy Black created some wild, trademarked dances. Crunchy was known for doing the Gangsta Walk at Three 6's rowdy shows and in their videos. Then he started contributing crude-but-effective verses to their joints. If a zombie rose out of the grave and rapped, it would probably sound like Crunchy. Soon after Three 6 Mafia won their Oscar, Crunchy split from the group and hasn't really been heard from since. He's yet to follow the lead of Jim Jones, a hype-man who outgrew his crew with a hit record. But after seeing a YouTube video of Crunchy and his crew in the Memphis PJ's, flaunting a cache of guns, I think C.B. may have a future in reality TV like Flav. That is, if he isn't in jail first.
KMG
Affiliated with: Above The Law
Above The Law, a hardcore rap trio who came up in the Ruthless camp under N.W.A., had some dope music; it's amazing more people aren't familiar with their catalog. Cold 187um is the lead vocalist for the group, and his wingman was a serious dude named KMG the Illustrator. KMG, with his grimy voice, had a menacing way to deliver deadpan ad-libs and intros. His less-is-more approach is what makes him stand out amongst his peers. KMG contributed a decent verse on the song "Livin' Like Hustlers," which was also the title of Above The Law's debut album. Like Tony Yayo, KMG the Illustrator served as both hype-man and goon; legend has it that A.T.L. jumped Ice Cube at the New Music Seminar after his departure from N.W.A. in 1989.
Freaky Tah
Affiliated with: The Lost Boyz
Tragically, Freaky Tah's life ended at the hand of a gunman in 1999, but before that fateful night in Queens, Tah solidified his place in the hype-man Hall-of-Fame. With his raspy, gruff ad-libs, Tah borrowed a bit from Sen Dog, even sounding like the old Vato at times. But Freaky Tah added his own swagger to the role and even spit a rugged verse or two on albums with his group, The Lost Boyz, led by rapper Mr. Cheeks. Tah backed Mr. Cheek's rhymes with a wall of ad-libs, paving the way for guys like Jeezy and Jim Jones (who double as their own hype-men) to overload their joints with layers of chatter.
Professor X
Affiliated with: The X-Clan
Professor X followed in the footsteps of his father, Black activist Sonny Carson, and spread the militant gospel to the masses. But Professor X the Overseer did it alongside Brother J in funky, political rap group X-Clan. Not only was the Professor the group's hype-man, he was also the leader of The Clan's Black Watch Movement. He had some cool catchphrases ("Vainglorious! This is protected by the red, the black and the green… with a key, sissy!") And he even dropped two solo albums. Sadly, Professor X passed away in 2006 from complications due to spinal meningitis, but the legend remains.