Theater Review: Hype Man Challenges Privilege As Exemption

Powerfully written and directed by Idris Goodwin, Hype Man has to be one of the best Off-Broadway plays I have seen. The break beat play focuses on a white rapper, his black hype man, his “racially undefined” DJ, and the question as to whether his appropriation/ usage of black culture comes with a command to speak up for black lives. The murkiness of this challenge is deeply relevant and reveals that privilege also means exemption. 

Privilege, inherently, means exception. To be of privilege is to live a life where you can remain in what makes you comfortable or feel luxurious. Matt Stango as the “white rapper,” Pinnacle, is at the center of this “privileged” debate, but he struggles to see his own capacity to ignore black issues because of his impoverished ones. When his Hype Man, Shakur Tolliver’s as Verb, confronts him on his unwillingness to stand up for the black community ,after a 17 year old named Jarrod is shot by police, the rising Hip Hop act start to feel a halt in their friendship. To Verb, if you cannot stand up for my community, can you really stand with me? 

Each actor was exceptional. Tay Bass as DJ Peep One brought a sweetness and peace to the play that richly goes into unfortunate topics. NOBODY ever wants to talk about race, but yet it is one of the main ways we define each other. We SEE color and differences, but the question is why do we treat certain ones so less. Tolliver’s Verb is enthralling, and pulses with a boiling rage and sadness that is purely empathetic. As he gut-wrenchingly explains to Pinnacle, black people have never had a moment in history that was not torn by misfortune, violence, and systemic oppression “excused” because of their skin color. Yet, society is fascinated by black culture, music, food, and fashion. Thus, if you can have my creations, why can’t you accept me as a creator? Still, Pinnacle felt he could make the same argument. 

Stango at Pinnacle is perfect because he makes you understand why there are white people that do not see the weight of black issues and why they matter. He makes you feel the workings of ignorance, and the banality/ privilege you can have when you can choose to not be compassionate and still succeed. For Pinnacle, every time Verb or Peep One confronted him for not saying, in his music, the devastation of police brutality, particularly the case of Jarrod, he did not see his need to be involved. First, his uncle was a cop, and he presumed to say the teen’s death was unjust would be a challenge to police. Second, he could not understand why their friendship was “suddenly” disrupted by social issues. To him, they hang out in a society, but they are not society…right? Lastly, Pinnacle grew up under another, mass systemic oppression that does not get enough attention for its consistently horrible, historical precedent: poverty. 

I always say, “When you have nothing in your savings, you feel like you have no skin?” Yet, you do, and the marked difference between black and white poor is skin. Though Pinnacle was devastatingly poor, he was more likely to materially rise and gain access to opportunity than Verb or Peep One. He thought because he suffered, in some ways, that was his exemption from commenting on others sufferings like, Jarrod’s death. Yet, it was because he was succeeding and healing, especially through black culture, that his comment felt like a must. Still, Pinnacle never felt “safe enough” to stand for black lives out of fear of returning to his traumatic, poor one. Thus, the majesty of Hype Man is that, in 90 minutes, through music and a simple, DJ booth set, you feel clearer on why black lives matter and more should say it. If you cannot bear with me through my sufferings then you cannot bear my love. History, life, and a person are built with highs and lows, and true peace, harmony, and love are fostered between people when they go through both together . Hype Man is playing at The Flea Theater. Click Here to buy tickets. 

The Flea Theater is located at 20 Thomas Street between Church and Broadway,