DJ So Hype

Derrick Reeves, known as Hype or DJ So Hype, is an American DJ and producer of segway music. “Hype”, meaning extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion., suits his personality and skill-set perfectly when talking about his craft. This is due to his well-known ability to work with any genre of music, or combination of multiple genres at one time, to produce dynamic and high energy music sets. In addition Hype is quite known by most in the industry for possessing one of the most critical skill-sets of being a professional DJ, which is the ability to read the crowd and change a performance on-the-fly in order to keep the energy of the event high. It is because of these two aspects that the name “Hype” became perfectly fitting. But no matter what you call him or whether or not you’ve ever seen him perform, one thing is for sure, when he’s performing for you, you will surely know it. A triple threat of music talent, personality, and fashion sense Hype has become a member in a class all his own.

Hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada Hype has rightfully established himself in the most elite class of DJs, continuously and regularly playing all venues and events ever worth mentioning in this global mecca of nightlife alongside just about any major artist you can think of in today’s pop culture. As the resident DJ since 2004 of some of Vegas’ hottest clubs and lounges including Rum Jungle, Jet Nightclub & Koi Nightclub inside of the Planet Hollywood. Hype has also resided at Town Square since the Grand Opening in 2007 as still a Senior in High School every Friday & Saturday for Nu Sanctuary & Blue Martini, located inside of Town Square. Additionally, Hype is known for frequently playing such venues as Revolution, Gold Lounge, Foundation Room, Neche, and Chateau. As you can see (if you are familiar with any of the hotspots in Las Vegas Nightlife from the last 12 years to present) there isn’t a place in the Las Vegas area that he hasn’t blown the roof off of.

Additionally, when he’s not tearing it up in Sin City he also regularly jet-sets all the top entertainment meccas that this country has worth mentioning (LA, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago, NYC, Miami). 2018 marks his twelfth year running with a continuous residency on the Las Vegas Strip. Hype can also be found heating up tours across the country with some of your favorite artists to date. But no matter where you see him it’s guaranteed to be a night to remember so come prepared. And as you can see there is a reason why so many of his peers call him “The Hardest Working Man In The Business” (averaging between 300 and 350 performances a year, due to performing multiple times daily throughout the Las Vegas Club & Community Scene).

-EARLY LIFE
The middle brother of three, Shift was born in Ridgecrest, California. After living there for 3 months after his birth his mother moved to Inglewood, California. His mother, worked as a Surgical Tech a good life early on for the family, while be a single mother with 3 boys. He can remember many times as a kid being in the company of his mother growing up listening to Theo from 92.3 in Souther California which developed his love for music from Old to New. Soon after that the family was relocated to Henderson, Nevada when he was thirteen years old. It was during this part of his life that he was extensively exposed deejaying by the last day of school of 2003 by finding 1 turntable & 1 mixer in the trash can. Soon after receiving the abandoned DJ equipment, Hype 3 days later used his saved up lunch money to purchase 1 more turntable from the pawn shop. For a full 4 months Hype practiced only using 3 vinyls, Rick James "Mary Jane", Talib Kweli's "Get By" & Wu-Tangs "Triump". Hype attended Green Valley High School where he ran Varsity Cross Country and Track, JV BasketBall, President of the Krump Club & President of the Student Body Club. Outside of school he was also very active in the deejaying house parties, school dancers & a popular teen nightclub called "Club Frozen" while working at a Dry Cleaners part time along with working full time for 97.5 (Partially responsible for his name “Hype”). Close to graduation Hype wanted to attend college for the Computer Tech field, however do to his very social demeanor and deep passion for music and nightlife throughout his life he quickly knew that something in those areas was definitely where he belonged.

-CAREER
At age 16 he became a the most known DJ to be the youngest DJ on the Las Vegas strip . It was from then on he realized his strong desire for being the life force of the party and delved into the world of the nightlife industry primarily deejaying and periodically independently hosting for nightclubs & events. It is here where he thrived and ultimately began to feel more comfortable and likely to succeed. After befriending many club owners and DJs (both nightlife and radio personalities alike) he realized what he always knew to be true, that he wanted to be solely responsible for the energy of the party. Being a host he had experienced this to an extent but it was quite obvious that the DJ Booth is where he needed to be and given his extensive relationship with music, this is the direction he decided to head. Shift taught himself primarily on his own all the ins and outs of his craft, by simple trial and error and training his ear from watching and listening to the never ending talent from DJ Jazzy Jeff & Grand Wizard Theodore. So with his newfound skills, passion for music, and expanding relationships in this ideal arena Hype became an aggressively progressive self-made man in order to establish his place in the stars. And although Hype has accomplished a lot he maintains the utmost level of humility and gratefulness for his accomplishments. His plans are to now hone his pre-existing skills to music itself by producing his own sound. So stay tuned for the next chapter in Hype's history, this is where it gets fun.

-PERSONAL LIFE
Even though being a DJ occupies much of his life there are many different aspects that Hype makes great strides to incorporate and maintain in his personal life. His mother helps to keep him humble and grounded, and the ability to travel has always been a very important. Shift has continued from a very young age to paint, dance & run his own magazine, which led to his art being sold world wide and displayed in galleries seen in New York, his dancing career leading him to work alongside with the Jabbawockeez and appear in many commercials under KIA and to selling over 900,000 physical magazines that won "Magazine of the Year" in Las Vegas. n addition, Hype is an hard working, laid back & funny man amongst friends. A little later in life he thoroughly looks forward to building a school of his own and that represents the 4 elements of Hip Hop.

-DISCOGRAPHY
Hype has released multiple mixes over the years that can be found on his Soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/djsohype
After high school Hype was more motivated to being successful since he had more time on his hands with school out of the way. WIth working at the radio station as a full time job Hype still managed to rock parties & clubs every weekend. On Easter Sunday 2008 Hype was invited to do a event later that evening for a mansion party. Along the way to the event So Hype was involved in a fatal car accident which caused his life. All of the equipment from the 200 vinyl records, Mac Book, Headphones, Speakers, Microphones, External Hard Drive, Table & more were all destroyed in the accident . Not only losing all his equipment and totaling his vehicle So Hype also passed away in the accident. Hype's mother "Rose Reeves" heard about the accident from some friends of So Hype and rushed to the accident to see if her son was ok. Paramedics, Police & Firefighters rushed to the accident 35 minutes after impact and immediately checked on the other vehicle that caused the accident while Hype was already dead in his vehicle with no help or attention. Thats when his mother yelled and demanded that Hype gets some attention and help from the paramedics as then they rushed to check on Hype for when they soon pronounced Derrick Reeves dead at 8:55 pm. Paramedics were going to put Hype in a body bag but his mother couldn't bare to see her son in a body bag so she beg the medic not to do it in front of her. They decided to put Hype in the ambulance and take him to the coroners office while after 45 minutes of being dead from the impact to the ambulance ride So Hype woke up. Paramedics quickly rushed him to St. Rose Dominican Hospital to make sure that he stays alive. WIthout any medical insurance at the time the hospital released Hype under his mother's care after being in the hospital for 2 hours. Week & weeks after the accident Hype had to put himself into therapy at home from not being able to walk due to nerve damage from the strikes to his back and body weakness. Hype's only help was from his mother and support from his fans but without equipment, Hype lost everything & was out of the DJ scene due to the time that he had to recover. Clubs and Promoters for parties had no other choice but to work with other djays which left Hype out of a job. Throughout time Hype became very depressed and lost with the feeling that he didn't have anything to hold on to anymore. With no equipment and the fact of him losing his name DJ So Hype, not being able to doing any gigs within less in a year Hype lost all motivation and inspiration to being a DJ. Hype was 1 step away from joining the military and becoming a metro police officer.

Late 2008 it was all So Hype's mother which was the one to influence and pursued him into following his dreams and to do what he was born to do and that was music. Hype, his mother and from a little bit of help from his father "David Reeves" they came together to invest into some new equipment. Hype was now motivated into getting his name back out there and to let the public know that So Hype didn't go anywhere. With So Hype balancing 2 full time jobs along with a part time job So Hype invested into some equipment in no time. Late January 2009 Hype was back into the party scene as he slowly was getting his reputation back. It was very difficult for Hype to get his name out there due to his absence from the accident. Everyone looked at him as a new up and coming DJ since he was no longer the young sensation DJ that vegas knew him as. It was now that So Hype really had to prove himself to be taken seriously as a DJ.

With hours and hours of practice So Hype managed to gain his skills as a DJ but now even on a higher level to where his skills were unlike you would regularly see from any other DJ. Hype demanded attention from not only the locals but now the world. With him now being diverse and fluent with his talent So Hype was demanded quickly for weekly events. From going back to coming from nothing and turning it into something Hype was on a take over.

During the success of Hype's overwhelming recovery he continued to take Las Vegas by storm by participating in any and everything that he can step his foot into. With help from his mother she got connected with the After-School All-Stars in Las Vegas to have Hype to donate his time by being a regular DJ for them for charity events. From time to time So Hype would attend back in night clubs as only a guest dj but it took one night from djaying in Tao night club to where Hype was discovered by a A.R. Rep for the "Black Eyed Peas" and was very impressed by Hype's sensational djaying to where he immediately approached Hype with a job. He told Hype to call him the next day as soon as he woke up for a phone conversation. The next day So Hype was offered to do a 3 date tour with the "Black Eyed Peas" with 2 shows in California and 1 in Phoenix, AZ. Hype quickly accepted and was now on his first tour which took place in September 2009.

For the year of 2009 So Hype was already a motivational speaker for young teens in Las Vegas to talk about his career and how important it is to stay in school but to still believe in yourself to amount to anything that you want to be. Continued with working with his charity and attending other charities as well to give back to kids for the Y.M.C.A., Boys & Girls Club, Lend a Hand Charity, After-School All-Stars & Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. From 2005 to 2009 Hype has raised up to $10,000 to donate to charities in Las Vegas. During that year Hype appeared as one of the Hamsters in the first Kia Commercial. Hype continued the rest of the year by taking Vegas by storm by being known as the DJ that you needed to book.

Not even 21 yet and So Hype was already traveling and still attending to do clubs on the strip and weekly 18+ events. Still at the radio station Hype would air on the radio doing phone pranks as a imitator and daily commercials spots for Las Vegas Clubs, Clothing Lines, Fast Food Restaurants and Movies. Summer of 2010 So Hype already had over 20 clubs on his belt and thats not including the out of state clubs. Hype was invited numerous times to Houston, Texas to DJ for Paul Wall, Chamilionair & Lil Jon. Hype was flown out to South Beach Miami, Florida to DJ on the Beach for Fat Joe & Rick Ross. Towards then end of summer So Hype go to meet one his biggest inspirations in the music business which was "Morris Day & the Time". Hype was accepted to do a all Down South Tour with Morris Day and the Time. Labor Day weekend So Hype was invited to fly back out to Miami to DJ at the Mansion Club with celebrity "Lil Bow Wow" with special guest "Mike Epps & Snookie". Soon as Hype got back home he was sponsored by Sean John Clothing and was djaying for the clothing line thru out the outlet stores in Las Vegas. Hype began started working with Councilman Ricky Barlow & Commissioner Lawrence Weekly in Las Vegas as their main DJ for any events and government events as well. In December 2010 Hype had a opportunity by the help of his mother to fly out to New York to DJ at Madison Square Garden for Celebrity R&B Sensation "Trey Songz" for a winter jam concert with performances by "50 Cent, Fat Joe, Lil Mama, New Boyz, Ne-Yo & Cali Swagg DIstrict".

Early January 2011 So Hype was already a household name and was talked about across the U.S. about his impeccable djaying skills. Hype continued to do weekly event in the local area as well as continuing to travel around the West Coast doing local shows, concerts, clubs and parties. Hype's New Year resolution was to become a resident DJ in a club on the strip in Las Vegas by 2012. In March 2011 So Hype quit the radio station 97.5 after being with them for 4 years to pursue his career full-time to dedication his time only into his first love which is music. With walking away Hype managed to own his own business by doing nothing but djaying, teaching dance class for his charity, designing websites, creating DJ So Hype shirts & flyer designs. Not bad for a 22 year old that only works for hisself and answers to no one. In April 2011 So Hype launch his very own website www.djsohype.com which was designed and built by So Hype to release his first mixture after his accident which was titled "The Take Over" which received over 100 downloads in the first day which put Hype in the status of setting the bar of making a DJ mixtape. Hype was got 5,000 hits on his website within his first month after the launch. Hype's goal is to put out mixture every other week and is known as the DJ to put out 5 mixtapes less then 2 months. Hype's goal in his mixtures is to bring back good music that he feels that people are missing today, so he starts with the old and will continue to put out tapes with the new.

Summer 2011 So Hype was still a guest DJ a various clubs in Vegas as well as opening up for one of his mentors DJ Kid Capri until he became at a small hookah lounge in South Las Vegas called "Laziza" which led him to be a resident DJ at Nu Sanctuary Lounge located in Town Square Las Vegas after 2 weeks with being the fist DJ to ever have a event on a Sunday Night at that club. So Hype continues to pull in a miraculous crowd every Sunday. September 2011 So Hype's manager/mother signed him up for a DJ battle in Las Vegas at Mcfadden's which was located inside the Rio Hotel on the Strip. Their were 50 DJ's that signed up for this competition to battle it out win a new set of turn tables, $2,000 cash & a chance to be a resident DJ every week at Mcfadden's. The winner would be decided off of crowd decision and after 10 long weeks DJ So Hype was crowned as Las Vegas' 2011 DJ Battle Champion and won the prizes along with the chance to be the resident DJ at Mcfadden's. Word got around fast about the So Hype winning the battle and gave So Hype the respect that he always deserved as not being known as the rookie DJ anymore. With being the youngest DJ out of the whole battle he earned respect that he was not to be doubted. Weeks later on the slowest night that So Hype ever had at Nu Sanctuary with an attendance of only 9 people there were 3 people that stayed throughout the night grooving to the sounds of DJ So Hype and approached Hype by letting him know that he was actually trying out with any notice. As curious Hype was they told him that he has a opportunity to DJ at the V Bar located inside the Venetian on the Las Vegas strip. Halloween weekend 2011 So Hype impressed not only V Bar but the Hotel (The Venetian) with his diverse djaying skills. Which put him automatically in the spot as a rotating djaying at the club. Not even being December yet So Hype was already a resident DJ at 3 clubs within 4 months with living up to his New Years resolution hoping that he would be in that position by the first of the year. At the this time of being the age of 22 So Hype is now known as the youngest resident DJ to DJ on the Las Vegas Strip.

So Hype continues to represent the DJ throughout his records, mix tapes & live shows. His love of music shines through on all projects, whether its with celebrities or his own solo music. Over the course of his career Hype has achieved many accomplishments at a young age, but he is a humble man who is still doing it for the love of music. And with that approach he will continue doing what he love for as long as he wants.