Before Hyp ever strummed a note, music was already shaping his story. The son of working musicians, he grew up surrounded by rhythm and resonance—even kicking along in the womb during studio sessions, as his mother tells it. That early exposure blossomed into a three-decade artistic evolution, where jazz, soul, and hip-hop converged with a deep reverence for history and storytelling. Today, Hyp isn’t just an artist—he’s a sonic archivist, crafting work that honors the past while boldly inventing the future.
His current sound, which he calls Prog LoFi, is hard to pin down—and that’s exactly the point. It’s a genre-fluid blend where 19-string pixie harps shimmer over boom-bap drums, Afrobeat grooves tangle with jazz improvisation, and every track feels like a mood board for both introspection and action. On Sinking Heights—featured in Colman Domingo’s acclaimed docuseries—Hyp manages to evoke emotional depth without a single lyric, turning instrumental music into narrative.
While many artists wait for sync deals, Hyp builds his own stage. His self-produced documentary Honoring Amilcar, which spotlights the revolutionary Cape Verdean leader Amílcar Cabral, is more than a film—it’s an act of cultural recovery. Scored entirely with his original music, the official accompanying soundtrack—Honoring Amilcar: The Soundtrack—is available exclusively on BandCamp. Meanwhile, his 26-track project I Need Time To Chill Vol. 2 is a follow-up to Vol. 1 (released in 2022) and is as textured as it is intentional—equally suited for quiet reflection or planning the next protest.
A $15K Zoo Labs grant and accolades like “Best Band of the Bay” affirm Hyp’s impact, but numbers and trophies only tell part of the story. What sets him apart is his vision. He’s not chasing trends—he’s curating memory. Whether composing for film festivals or posting harp sketches on Instagram, Hyp is reclaiming music as a vehicle for meaning, not just a medium for consumption.
As he sets his sights on his next documentary, Hyp remains driven by the same question that shaped his earliest years in the studio: What does it mean to listen deeply? His answer isn’t just in melodies but in mission. With every pluck, beat, and bar, he’s building something rare: art with roots, rhythm, and a reason to endure.
