Hype Holla

Hype Holla, born Devon Walker, was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island and currently resides in the Southside of Providence. How many Hip-Hop/Rap artists do you know who have a college education? Hype Holla is one of the few who does. He currently has an Associates Degree after graduating from the New England Institute of Technology and is currently enrolled at Rhode Island College, where he will receive his Bachelors Degree. Hype Holla, arguably the best artist in Rhode Island, views his music as an art and has the ability to go at his craft many different and successful ways, which demonstrates his high level of versatility. Throughout his career he has mastered many different flows, paces and styles, making him sound extremely comfortable on songs. Hype Holla’s main goal is to put the state of Rhode Island on the map by any means necessary. He confidently states, “Yeah I know I scream out the best in the state, but I’m going to let the music speak for itself.” He was officially signed to indie label O.G. Entertainment early this year. Besides countless features and collaborations on various projects and releasing his own mix CD’s, Hype Holla presently has a feature on fellow O.G. entertainment artist Reeper’s college radio promo single “Rockstar” on the charts nationwide. “Rockstar” debuted on both RapAttackLives.com and the former RapNetwork.com’s (now MySpace.com/recordbreakercharts) “Top 5 Added” at number 3, and a week later debuted on both charts “Top 30” at number 28 and 19 respectively. On 3/26/07 the single peaked in the “Top 30” charts at number 4 on RapAttackLives.com and number 3 on Rap Network Record Breakers. Check out the interview:

Q: You have some college education, yet your music is street and hard-edged, obviously two different worlds. And being from the streets, how do you balance the two?

A: Since my music is hard-edged, and I represent the streets, most people believe that I’m ignorant and don’yt have a college education. In my city, it is safe to say I am well known and respected from every rapper to street hustler. Not because I’m a I’m a gangsta, hustler or anything of that sort. It’s just that real recognize real, and what I’m trying to do for my state is very real. So I don’t try to balance the two, I try to make the two work together. I turn the hustlers to to rappers, give them a chance to do something they enjoy that is positive. And I let the college kids know that rappers got more to say than just the things they hear in in our songs.

Q: There are a lot more rappers now with college educations entering the rap game and finding successful careers, your college educated; yet most, if not all rap artists are stigmatized with only being ignorant street thugs. How do you feel about that perspective?

A: Rappers are stigmatized with only being ignorant street thugs, and I am here to say that it is ignorant to judge all rappers based on the ones you probably didn’t take the time out to see what they’re really about.

Q: How do you approach the creativity process of your music?

A: When I go to start a song, I try to let the beat be the road, and my thoughts and ideas be the vehicle. And since my thoughts move at race card speed, I just try to stay on track with the first idea the beat gives me. Then I just ride on out and hope the people enjoy!

Q: What is the most influential force or factor in the direction, styling and creation of your music?

A: The biggest factor that I take when creating my music is to be as comfortable as possible and since I don’t label my music, and I think of myself as an artist rather than a rapper, it allows me to have a lot more writing styles, compared to someone that is a hardcore rapper or a R&B person. I don’t limit myself, and try to do them all.

Q: As a rap artist, what’s your purpose within the rap game, what is it that you want to bring to it and are bringing to it?

A: My purpose within the rap game is to put my hometown of Providence, RI on the map, and further more represent it right, and open more doors so my state can come up as a whole; rather than me a an individual.