UNO HYPE INTERVIEW: VIPER PRESENTS [FEATURE]
Maryland artist Uno Hype racked up over 15 million streams on Spotify with his debut album ‘SOL GLO’, but the alt-hip hop artist has remained eerily quiet ever since. That’s all about to change, get familiar…
What five words define your sound?
Introspective, Maryland, black-mythology, cinematic, honest.
Tell me something unique about your creative process?
I take from everywhere – Jazz records, music I grew up on; even random conversations I overhear. I’ll take those moments, distort them, flip them and turn them into something that feels like home. I want my music to feel like a late-night talk with an old friend. The kind that shifts your perspective when you need it the most.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
‘Free Bro’. It’s the perfect introduction to my world, it lets you know where my headspace is at.
What inspired you to make that song?
That song came from feeling stuck… like I was fighting to break through, but still had chains on that I couldn’t see. It stemmed from a conversation I had with my brother – just a stream of consciousness.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
You know how sometimes you don’t even realise how much you’re carrying, until you put it on paper and say it out loud? That’s what ‘Free Bro’ was for me. I was unpacking everything I’d been avoiding. That was heavy. Writing those lyrics felt like sitting in front of a mirror I couldn’t look away from.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
Best? I was performing with my punk band at the time (GUMP) and we had done a show at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., a really prestigious venue, like you’ll only catch a symphony or orchestra in that place, and we were told not to say anything pertaining to politics or the current president. I said fuck it and performed this song we had called ‘F*ck The Man’ – I was unhinged and thought the world was out to get me at the time. Worst? A show where the mic kept cutting out and I had to yell the lyrics just to keep the energy up. By the end, my voice was gone but the crowd still rocked with me. I also dove off stage and nobody caught me. Big L [laughs].
What is your favorite song to perform?
It changes, but anything that lets me really connect with the crowd. If I see someone nodding like they just caught a bar that hit home, that’s my favorite moment every time.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Lupe Fiasco’s ‘The Cool.’ That album felt like a movie. Every song had layers, stories and meaning. It showed me that Rap could be more than just rhymes, it could be world building.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
Uno represents standing alone, moving with purpose. Hype isn’t about noise – it’s about energy, momentum, elevation. I never wanted to be just another name in the mix.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
Probably something visual… film, photography. I love capturing moments, telling stories in a way that sticks with people. Or maybe psychology, I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people think and feel the way they do.
What’s success to you?
Success is making something that outlives me. If years from now, someone stumbles upon my music and it helps them through a moment in their life, that’s all I could ask for.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
I had a period where I felt like I was making music just to keep up, trying to fit into what people expected. Then I hit a point where I had to ask myself, “Do I want to be heard, or do I want to be understood?” That shifted everything. I started making music that felt like me, not just what I thought people wanted.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
Instagram, Twitter, streaming platforms, YouTube. Anywhere people need a soundtrack for their life.
