Rapper Chris Gabo releases the first of a series of forthcoming singles. Entitled “Hype Man,” the track delves into the contrast between who we are and who we become in order to survive.
Gabo asserts being a hip-hop artist demands two different identities – at home, rappers should be humble, while at work, brash arrogance is perceived as ideal.
The “Hype Man” persona is the one rappers elect to present to their fans, and is not necessarily who they are fundamentally are.
Gabo graduated with a double major in Dramatic Writing and Acting from NYU Tisch School of the arts and completed the two-year Meisner program at Maggie Flanigan Studio. A graduate of Yale’s MFA program in playwriting, he is presently contracted with HBO, where he has written six episodes of the rebooted In Treatment. He is also the consulting producer for The Weeknd’s show The Idol.
Gabo’s film/TV writing ability has been acknowledged by the Sundance MENA Theatre Lab, the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, and the Cherry Lane Mentor Project with playwright Rajiv Joseph. while his musical talent includes collaborations with Cakes Da Killa, Lazerbeak, and DJ Trackstar of Run the Jewels, along with sharing the stage with Ana Tijoux and DJ Rob Swift. He’s licensed music to Hulu’s Broad City and the indie film Coldwater.
“Hype Man” opens on a shuffling, potent beat flowing into a melodic, Latin-tinged hip-hop melody, followed by a tight and right cadence topped by Gabo’s rapid-fire rhymes rife with a razor-sharp flow. Rounded, percolating accents imbue the tune with glossy colors, providing a spiky contrast with the banging rhythm.
“Hype Man / Hype Man / What you really like man / You don’t even know man …”
On one level, “Hype Man” is carefree and amusing, yet on another level, there’s a cutting edge to the significant parallels uncovered by Gabo’s astute lyrics.
With “Hype Man,” Chris Gabo pumps out contagious hard-hitting hip-hop laced with tantalizing harmonics and insightful rhymes.
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