hype man

[hahyp man]

noun

1. (in rap music) a supporting performer who energizes and engages the audience and punctuates the rapper’s lyrics with shouted interjections.

   The show ran out of steam without a hype man to keep the crowd excited and the rapper on point.

2. an enthusiastic and vocal supporter or promoter of a person, group, or thing; booster.

   His antics from the bench have made this rookie college basketball’s most recognizable hype man.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hype man¹

First recorded in 2000–05

Example Sentences

The president said journalists were “scum” for writing about the DIA assessment—i.e., reporting on the government’s own evaluation of how it did—while Hegseth, befitting his background as a Fox News himbo hype man, gave a press conference in which he called the bombing “the most complex and successful military operation in history.”

From Slate

I must have hesitated, because Joe, the sales representative, became my hype man: “Let’s do it,” he said.

From Slate

The lawsuit states that Dixon’s role over about 16 years was more than that of the usual hype man.

From Los Angeles Times

Michael Sumler, who spent years working with the venerable soul-funk group Kool & the Gang as both an onstage hype man and a behind-the-scenes stylist, died Sunday in a car crash in Georgia.

From Los Angeles Times

One vivid demonstration of Stagecoach’s evolution from the festival’s early days: Scott Storch’s appearance inside Diplo’s HonkyTonk, where the producer and songwriter was introduced by his Don Julio-guzzling hype man as the guy who dated both Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.

From Los Angeles Times