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Shareif Ziyadat / Contributor via Getty Images and Bryan Bedder / Stringer via Getty Images
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Joe Budden, Tommy Richman
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Tommy Richman is taking the music scene by storm this year with his breakout singles, “Million Dollar Baby” and “Devil Is A Lie.” Amid his impressive achievements, he has stressed that he refuses to be confined to the label of a mere Hip Hop artist.
Upon hearing about Richman’s exchanges with DJ Hed on social media, Joe Budden shared his candid thoughts regarding the emerging star from Woodbridge, VA. In light of Richman’s comment that, “I’ll state it again, I’m grateful for everything. I’m saying I don’t want to be boxed in. I grew up with hip hop. But I’m a singer,” Budden voiced his discontent with Richman’s position.
During the Oct. 4 episode of the Joe Budden Podcast, after humorously imitating Richman’s hit track, Budden commented, “Tommy Richman, I absolutely hate that f**king song. I wanted to hear more bangers.” He elaborated on the exchanges between Richman and DJ Hed, further stating, “The culture propelled you to your current situation. Now is not the time for, ‘I’m not a Hip Hop artist.’ I have no issue with, ‘I am not merely a Hip Hop artist,’ or ‘I am much more than just a Hip Hop artist.’”
With his co-host appearing to concur with his perspective, the former rapper remarked, “Why are you even tweeting? All you need to do, you have the simplest job in the world, Tommy Richman, just shut the f**k up. You belong to the group of individuals who can enjoy their success without ever having to engage with Black audiences.”
While Budden reiterated that he doesn’t mind Richman’s desire to avoid being labeled only as a Hip Hop artist, he emphasized that rejecting Hip Hop, which was the very culture that first accepted him, can alienate fans. Many pointed to Post Malone and his attempts to distance himself from the genre after achieving fame with “White Iverson.”
The respected broadcaster strongly asserted that, “Tommy Richman isn’t talented enough to do that yet,” as he wrapped up his thoughts on white artists who try to distance themselves from Hip Hop after gaining notoriety.
Tune in to the latest episode of the Joe Budden Podcast below!