1. How important is a Hypeman in the entire music ecosystem?
First of all, hype is a mood changer, it is a symbol of hope. It is the ingredient that spice up the music ecosystem. Gone are those days when a DJ slams the music and people jump to the dance floor, the music ecosystem has changed over the years, people now need someone to tell them ‘Move’ before they move. The microphone has evolved to become a spiritual weapon that can be used positively or negatively but then the HYPEMAN uses this tool to lift people’s mood from hopelessness and stress to a state where all they see is possibilities. And the hypeman is only one person who can wield this tool, that’s how important we are.
2. How profitable is it as a craft?
Sincerely, hype is gradually gaining prominence but the profitability part is yet to be fully attained. Imagine Hypemen are the first to get to the venue, do the most work and the last to leave the venue but they are not paid compared to some craft in which they perform for some minutes and leave the stage for another show. It’s been a major concern to the hype nation because our longer hours on stage is not compensated and reflected in our payments. But gradually we are breaking boundaries. As for me, we had the first ever hype concert 22nd March, 2019 and some other Hypemen are beginning to wake up that we can also have a concert where all we need are Hypemen who are mood lifter and the disc jockey to frequently switch the music.
3. What’s the range of fees charged by an average hypeman in Nigeria?
The range of fees charged by a hypeman is dependent on the negotiations between the organizers and the hypeman or their management base on self-worth. Yes hypemen too now have managers, hyping is one incredible talent that deserves best.
4. What are the career prospects for a hypeman?
Hype nations are taking over, mark my words, the world is evolving and it about time we understood that hype is not optional, it is a necessity in any event. Hypemen are now being considered by event planners as a key that opens and closes any event. We are the crowd controller, gradually a lot of people are diving into the hype business and sooner or later, the hype nation will have a record label that only signs Hypemen to be part of their team just like other crafts. These are some of my personal plans and that was why I did the school of hype just before the advent of Covid 19. We had over 15 Hypemen in attendance and that was the limit of the studio as we had to schedule others for the next edition which hopefully takes place after Covid 19.
So hype in itself is becoming a CAREER to consider.
5. What are the challenges facing Hypemen in the music industry?
The major challenge facing the hype nation is the reward we get in return of our service. We are the party starter, party lover, party shaker but we are least paid. No one wants to go into a non profitable business. We hope this changes sooner than we expect. It time we realized that hype men are not optional because some event planners don’t even budget for Hypemen but they budget for other things. We are on the look out and sooner than later the whole world will believe the hype because hype is alive.
6. What’s the future of the Hypeman culture?
Hype is now and the future, the take over has just started because everyone deserves a mood lifter. The future of hype is great and the future is now. Recognition has come and the importance of hype cannot be overemphasized. With the hype nation, any shutdown is a shutdown.
Thank you.
