Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) fraudulent.

1978

J. Carroll Basketball Diaries 144: You’re the weasel that beat me with this hype acid [HDAS].

2. (US campus) uptight, upset, jittery, nervous, worried.

1982		Eble Campus Sl. Spring 5: hype [...] That hype girl can’t even sit still for a 90-minute class.
1989		Kool G Rap ‘Road to the Riches’ 🎵 In a beef I got hype / ’Cause rags to riches changes men to witches.
2003		CunninLynguists ‘CunninLynguists’ 🎵 Fuckin’ with my paper, getting me hype as a coke rush.

3. (US black) splendid, exciting, cool or attractive.

1988		Ice-T ‘I’m Your Pusher’ 🎵 But this base you don’t need a pipe / Just a tempo to keep you hype.
1993		Lerner et al. Dict. of Today’s Words.
2005		Ace & Invisible 1Xtra [BBC radio] Snoop Dogg [...] He’s got a hype stage show.
2010		Codella and Bennett Alphaville (2011) 180: Two dealers [...] head over to another hype night spot a block away.
2020		C. von Ziegesar Cobble Hill 164: . ‘Try these [i.e. trainers],’ he said breathlessly, and handed them to Liam. ‘Sweet’ Ryan grinned merrily. You are going to be one hype beast’.

4. (US campus) excited in a positive sense.

1987		Eric B. & Rakim ‘I Know You Got Soul’ 🎵 I get hype when I hear a drum roll.
1997		Eble Campus Sl. Apr. 5: hype – happily excited: ‘Jack was hype about his upcoming trip.’.
2009		Rick Ross ‘Maybach Music 2’ 🎵 I hit the strip club and girls get extra hype.
2010		9th Prince ‘Young Black Millions’ 🎵 Get the crowd hype like Patrón and lime.
2015		Guardian G2 3 July 5/1: He’d get too hype, too happy, too gassed.
2016		C. Eble UNC-CH Campus Sl. Spring 2016.

5. dramatic.

1990

M. McAlary Crack War (1991) 188: It was a real hype sort of thing [...] the place was mobbed, hundreds of people, just waiting to get a look.

6. (UK black) excessive, extreme.

2017

theculturetrip.com ‘Guide to London Slang 10 Jan. 🌐 Hype – too much, excessive, over the top.