Tommy Richman Might Have Another Hit On His Hands — But Will It Silence His Critics?

Tommy Richman might not be a one two hit wonder, after all.

The Virginia-bred singer, who is signed to Brent Faiyaz‘s ISO Supremacy label, was one of 2024’s biggest breakout acts thanks to the one-two combo of “Million Dollar Baby” and “Devil Is a Lie,” the first of which reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Richman failed to replicate that success on the albums chart, though. His debut LP Coyote (which, curiously, did not include the aforementioned hits) didn’t even dent the Billboard 200 following its release in September, and he’s been relatively quiet ever since.

But any notion of him fading away into obscurity might be misguided as it appears the 24-year-old is gearing up to unleash another heater.

On Wednesday (January 30), Tommy ended his social media silence by sharing a snippet of a brand new track which appears to be called “Actin Up.”

The first thing about the song that jumps out is the beat: a sparse speaker-knocker that borrows almost identical steelpan drums to those used on Soulja Boy‘s “Crank That” and also features sinister piano chords, thudding 808s and Mannie Fresh cowbells.

If that alone doesn’t scream “party starter,” then Tommy Richman all but seals the deal by floating over the beat with his Bee Gees-esque falsetto, finding an infectious pocket with his high-low flow.

Lyrically, it’s a potent mix of a-middle-finger-to-the-haters (“I said I’m sick and tired, all these people sayin’ names”), trying to find true love (“I gotta stay alive for my fuckin’ soulmate”) and dancefloor commands to the ladies that would make Juvenile proud (“Bend it over, break it down, back it up”).

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Fans seem to agree.

“Holy shit he has another hit,” one person wrote on X in response to the snippet, while another said: “Banger incoming.”

“I need this released immediately,” someone else pleaded. (A release date for the song has yet to be announced.)

Even fellow artist Russ was immediately won over, declaring in an Instagram comment: “this is it.”

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For others, however, “Actin Up” isn’t catchy enough to drown out some of the criticism that has plagued the last few months of Tommy Richman’s otherwise promising career.

Last October, the viral star (who is white) ruffled feathers by declaring on social media that he is “not a Hip Hop artist.”

After coming under fire for his comment, fueled by the fact that his music and style feels heavily influenced by Hip Hop and he’s signed to a rap-adjacent artist, Richman later attempted to clarify his statement.

“I’ll say again, Im thankful for everything,” he wrote in response to being called out by DJ Hed, L.A. radio staple and co-host of HipHopDX‘s The Bigger Picture. “I’m saying I don’t wanna be boxed in. I grew up on hip hop. But I’m a singer.”

He added: “I meant to say I’m not SOLEY a hip hop artist.”

I’ll say again, Im thankful for everything. I’m saying I don’t wanna be boxed in. I grew up on hip hop. But I’m a singer. https://t.co/TSggd2rA4K

— Tommy Richman (@tommyrichmann) October 2, 2024

I meant to say I’m not SOLEY a hip hop artist.

— Tommy Richman (@tommyrichmann) October 2, 2024

His detractors were quick to remind him of this remark after the release of his “Actin Up” snippet.

“I thought you aint wanna be ‘hip hop’ anymore?” read one response, while someone else snarked: “Sounds very hip-hop inspired by someone who said ‘they not hip-hop.’ I guess them TikTok checks started drying up.”

Another, more measured user wrote: “That one tweet could have been worded so much better. I understand he didn’t wanna be boxed in & wanted people to understand he makes a variety of music — but when you make shit like this and then tweet shit like that, I see why ppl didn’t fuck with it lol.

“That being said, this sounds mad good & I do hope he has a good career.”

Even veteran Hip Hop journalist Elliott Wilson, one of Tommy’s most vocal critics after his “not a Hip Hop artist” statement, admitted: “I HATE how much I like this snippet. Oh, Tommy! Iz u iz or iz u ain’t the culture?”

While many Hip Hop fans don’t appear ready to forgive Tommy Richman just yet, it’ll be interesting to see how “Actin Up” fares compared to his previous hits once it’s freed from his vaults, both in terms of commercial performance and wider cultural impact.

For some, it might just be a guilty pleasure.